Lacerta. 67 



as broad, shorter in the young, outer border convex or forming an 

 angular suture with the two upper temporals ; occipital usually shorter 

 and narrower than the interparietal, but sometimes as broad and very 

 rarely broader,* not infrequently separated from it by the parietals 

 meeting on the median line, often reduced to a granule, rarely absentf ; 

 a small shield may be intercalated between the interparietal and the 

 occipital. I Normally four supraoculars, first small or very small, often 

 reduced to a granule, or not reaching the second loreal,§ second and 

 third large, second the longer, fourth moderately small and constantly 

 forming a suture with the first upper temporal ; 4 to 7, usually 5 or 6, 

 superciliaries, first usually longest, all in contact with the supra- 

 oculars,] I or with granules between them, these varying in number from 

 1 to 11 and never forming a complete series ; suture between the first 

 and second superciliaries as often vertical as oblique. Usually two 

 regularly superposed postnasals, a short and deep anterior loreal, and 

 a large second loreal ; sometimes three postnasals^f ; anterior loreal 

 rarely divided, or absent** ; very rarely two postnasals may form a 

 triangle with a small anterior loreal, ++ as frequently occurs in L. agilis. 

 Nearly constantly 4 upper labials J J anterior to the subocular, which is 

 much narrower beneath than above. Two large upper temporals 

 (rarely fused to one) in contact with the parietal, the two equal or the 



* The largest oocipitals I have seen are in a male from Prague, witli the 

 shield shorter but considerably broader than the interparietal, and in a male 

 from Bazias, in which it is a little longer and a little broader than the latter. 



t In specimens from Jersey, Montpellier, and Turin. 



:j: In a male from Jersey and in females from Fontainebleau, Valdeblore,. 

 Sicily, and Biganos. Leydig says of German specimens, " Das Interparietals 

 fand ioh ofters durch eine Querfurohe getheilt." 



§ Absent in 10 specimens (Jersey, St. Malo, Oleron, Cadillac, Valdeblore,. 

 Spezia, Turin, Modica, Prague). In single females from St. Epain, Oleron and 

 Valdeblore, the first supraocular is replaced by 3-4 small shields, the inner of 

 which is in contact with the frontal. 



II Numerous specimens from France, the Channel Islands, and Italy. 



If Such exceptions, to which Lataste has drawn attention in dealing with the 

 lizards of the Gironde, appear chiefly in specimens from the extreme west of the 

 range of the species. 



** In western specimens the second loreal, if distinct from the first, forms a 

 suture with the second labial, whilst in most eastern specimens the first loreal 

 is larger and the second is pushed further back. 



tt On one side in a male and a female from St. Epain, in a female from Oleron, 

 in a male from Montpellier and in another from Turin, on both sides in a female 

 from Sicily (Paris Museum). 



JJ 3 on both sides in females from Jersey, St. Epain, Oleron, and Prague, on 

 one side in females from Jersey, Valdeblore, and Turin ; 5 on one side in a 

 young from Ostia and in a male from Hernani, which is further remarkable in 

 having 4 instead of 3 pairs of chin-shields in contact with each other. 



