202 Lacertida?. 



25 to 36 lamellar scales under the fourth toe, usually 28 to 33. 19 to 

 28 femoral pores on each side, usually 20 to 25. 



Caudal scales usually narrow and straight, sometimes more or less 

 oblique, upper strongly keeled, truncate, rarely obtusely pointed ; the 

 whorls not very unequal in length, the fourth or fifth containing 28 to 

 38 scales. 



Coloration very variable, even in specimens from the same locality. 

 Some individuals, females and young, closely agree in colour and 

 markings with the striated var. eatnpestris, but the more frequent and 

 characteristic pattern consists of agglomerations of black spots on the 

 vertebral line and on the sides, forming three bands (var. striata, 

 Eimer), which may be spotted with white ; others are irregularly 

 spotted or reticulated with black (vars. ehgaiis, maculata, Eimer), or 

 the black spots may form cross-bars on the sides, or even on the 

 posterior part of the back. The colour of the back varies from 

 greyish brown to olive, grass-green, or bluish green ; the sides are 

 usually brown, rarely green. Some specimens* show only faint traces 

 of darker markings, and lead to others which are uniformly olive 

 or yellowish brown (vars. modesta, coticolor, Eimer). A blue or 

 green oeellar spot is often present above the axil, and may sometimes 

 attain a large size. The tail is brown and usually bears bars of 

 black and white spots on the sides, sometimes extending across the 

 upper surface, sometimes interrupted by a dorsal series of large black 

 spots. The limbs often with round light, black-edged spots. Upper 

 surface of head brown, rarely olive green, sometimes much spotted 

 with black. 



The lower parts are usually white, the throat often bluish, with blue 

 and black spots on the outer ventral plates ; exceptionally the adjacent 

 ventrals may also be spotted with black.t or the belly may be grey, 

 appearing as if powdered with black pigment when examined under a 

 magnifying glass. + 



A remarkable specimen from Coseuza, Calabria, preserved in the 



* From Eome, Ponza, Yentotene, and Tivara Ids. — These are specially men- 

 tioned in view of Eimer's statement (Capri, p 29), "Xiemals habe ich an der 

 modesta Spuren von Plecken wahmelimen konnen." 



t Type of var. latastii, from Ponza Id., the belly of which is said to have 

 been pinMsh in life. 



J Male from Sorrento, Gulf of Naples, male and female from S. Stefano Id., 

 near Naples ; some specimens from the latter island are said, according to 

 Bedriaga, to be nearly black above, with green spots, and blue on the belly, 

 whilst a male specimen with black belly has been referred by me to the var. 

 nigriventris on account of its strongly depressed head. Specimens with grey 

 belly also occur in the small islands of the Adriatic, as mentioned further on. 



