TROPIDOSAURA ALGIRA. 177 



Family LACERTINID^. 



The body is prolonged, with four feet, having four or 

 five claws, all provided with nails ; the tail long, conical, 

 often twice as long as the body ; the head protected by 

 horny, many-sided plates ; the belly covered with large 

 scales ; the tongue free, extensile, divided into two filaments 

 towards the top ; the eyelids are moveable. 



This family is distributed over the Old and New Worlds, 

 but only four species are given in the 'Erpetologie Ge- 

 nerate ' as belonging to Asia, and none have been found in 

 Australia. 



Genus TROPIDOSAURA. 



Tougue not sheathed at base, moderately long, divided 

 at tip, with scaly imbricated warts ; palate with or with- 

 out teeth ; intermaxillary teeth conical, maxillary teeth 

 slightly compressed, those in front simple, the others tri- 

 cuspid; nostrils opening each in the naso-rostral plate. 

 There is a small fold of the skin in front of each shoulder, 

 but no scaly collar beneath the neck, as in the genus Lacerta, 

 and the scales of the upper surface of the body are much 

 larger than in that genus. Beneath each thigh is a series 

 of pores ; the toes are five in number on each foot, and are 

 slightly compressed ; the eyelids, of which the upper is scanty 

 and the lower ample, are covered with small angular scales. 



Tropidosaura Algira. 



Tropidosaura Algira, Dum. et Bib. vol. v. p. 168 ; Buon. Faun. Ital. 



(figured). 

 Lacerta Algira, Schinz, Europ. Faun. vol. ii. p. 26. 



Description. — The head pyramidal, somewhat depressed, 

 as long again as its width behind ; the naso-frenal plate 



i 5 



