146 Lacertidse. 



replaced by a small azygos shield* ; frontal as long as or slightly 

 longer than its distance from the end of the snout, about twice 

 as long as broad, hexagonal, often a little narrower behind than 

 in front, its least width not or but slightly greater than that 

 of the supraoculars; parietals 1| to If times as long as broad, in 

 contact with 2 or 3 temporals, not in contact with the upper 

 postocular ; occipital always shorter than the interparietal, some- 

 times broader; a small shield often intercalated between the 

 interparietal and the occipital.f Tour supraoculars, first very small 

 and in contact with the second loreal, fourth larger than first but 

 much shorter than third and in contact with the frontoparietal ; 

 6 to 7 superciliaries, first usually longest, forming a vertical or 

 slightly oblique suture with the second ; a series of granules between 

 the supraoculars and the superciliaries, sometimes complete,! some- 

 times reduced to three. § 



The nasal sometimes forms a suture with the anterior loreal || ; 

 postnasal usually single^ ; anterior loreal nearly as long as second ; 

 4 upper labials anterior to the subocular,** which is much narrower 

 beneath than above. Two or three enlarged upper temporals, the 

 first longest and in contact with the fourth supraocular ; temporal 

 scales small, with a usually large masseteric shield, which is in contact 

 with the first upper temporal and the sixth upper labial or separated 

 from without by one series of scales ; tympanic shield always well 

 developed. 



Pterygoid teeth absent. 



Gular scales increasing in size towards the collar, 15 to 19,tt between 

 the symphysis of the chin-shields and the median collar-plate ; gular 



* In two males from Comana Forest. 



t Mehely has attached too great an importance, as a specific character, to 

 the presence of this additional shield, which he has observed in 48 out of 

 78 specimens from Transylvania. It is absent in the three Caucasian speci- 

 mens seen by me, and in 6 out of the 9 from Houmania. Although present in 

 the type described by Eversmann, it is absent in the 15 specimens from Caucasia 

 examined by Kessler and Bedriaga. Another anomaly, noticed by Schreiber, is 

 for the occipital to be separated from the interparietal by the parietals, which 

 form a median suture. 



J In 2 males from Sukhum Kale. 



§ In a male from Herkulesbad. 



II Male and young from Sukhum Kale. 



If Two superposed postnasals in a male from Sukhum Kale and, on the left 

 side, in a female from Comana Forest. 



** 5 on the right side in a male from Sukhum Kale and in another from 

 Comana Forest. Occasionally 3 according to Kessler. 



tt 14 to 22 according to Lantz and Cyren. 



