198 SAURIA. 



of the ear edged with granules, which give it the appear- 

 ance of being toothed ; collar transverse, straight, quite 

 free, with from nine to fifteen almost square scales ; ven- 

 tral plates nearly equal, not much larger than those of the 

 breast, squared, from fourteen to sixteen in number on 

 each side of the central line of the belly, and forming 

 twenty-five or twenty-six transverse rows ; about fifty 

 small scales on the pre-anal region, among them, one close 

 to the vent larger than the rest ; from eight to ten femoral 

 pores ; tail short, very large at its base, becoming sud- 

 denly smaller, and ending in a very sharp point. All the 

 upper parts of the body ashy or olive-grey, sometimes 

 slaty ; neck, back, and tail irregularly spotted with black 

 ocelli, with a central white spot ; lower region whitish or 

 yellowish : sometimes the ocelli are united by transverse 

 bands, with occasionally white spots. 



Entire length, 7 inches ; tail, 3| inches. 



This species is thicker in its proportions, and more com- 

 pact, than any other of the genus. 



Inhabits the Crimea, and, according to Pallas, the De- 

 serts of Tartary, from the Caspian Sea to the Oby. 



Eremias cseruleo-ocellata. 



Wremias cceruleo-ocellata, Dcm. et Bib. vol. v. p. 295. 



Lacerta velox, Eversmann, Nouv. M6m. Soo. Imp. Nat. Moso. torn, iii, 



p. 353. tab. 30. fig. 3. 

 Lacerta velox, Tar. )3, Pallas, Zoog. Ross. As. vol. iii. p. 31. 



Description. — This species differs from the preceding as 

 follows : — the head is more elongated ; the tail is much 

 longer, and not nearly so thick at its root ; the inter- 

 parietal plate of the head more developed ; the femoral 

 pores more numerous (being from thirteen to fifteen in 

 number), and not so far apart ; no teeth on the palate ; 

 caudal scales keeled, and the scales inside the legs hexagonal 



