350 



LACERTID^. 



Nostrils between three swollen shields, the lower as long as the first 

 loreal. Prse-frontal single, hexagonal, separated from the vertical by 

 the post-frontals, which are in contact with each other, their hind 

 lateral points touching the front point of the superciliaries on each 

 side. Vertical elongate, broader in front than behind and obtusely 

 rounded. Superciliaries two, margined externally with granular 

 scales, the first of these large and sub-triangular; hind superciliary 

 separated from the post-occipital on each side by a group of 

 granular scales. Occipitals five, the anterior pentagonal, the posterior 

 triangular and separated by a small shield. Two loreals ; the first very 

 narrow, the last larger, and triangular; 9-10 upper labials, the fifth 

 and sixth largest and beneath the orbit. Lower labials 7-9, the fifth 

 and sixth largest and followed by much smaller shields. Five pair 

 of chin shields, the fourth largest. Ear spacious, margined above, 

 in front with a long narrow shield ; scales on the body granular, in 

 about 43-45 rows in the middle of the body ; on the upper side of the 

 limbs slightly teeled ; on the tail enlarged, verticillate and sharply 

 keeled. Shields of the belly enlarged, trapezoid in 8 rows. Femoral 

 pores 12-15 on each thigh, separated in the prse-anal region; 

 lower eyelid with a transparent disc, granular, with some enlarged 

 flat shields in the centre. Shoulder fold well developed. Colour 

 brownish olive, with four alternating rows of white spots with some 

 blackish ones down the back, and one or two rows down the sides 

 tending to form bands. A dark stripe behind the thigh and dark 

 marks on the tail, . Below greenish white. 



Length.— e-oO (tail 2-10). 



Eab—Sini. 



Mesalina pardalis, iic/ii.; Gray, Gat. Liz. Brit. Mus. p. 43; 

 Blf. Eastern Persia, p. 377; D. at B. Erp. gen. v. p. 312; Murray, 

 Hdhh., Zool., Sfc, Bind, p. 259. — The Dotted Mesalina. 



Resembles Watsonana. Scales of the abdomen in 28-31 transverse rows. 

 Femoral pores 11-15, commonly 12; 45-50 granular scales round the 

 middle of the back, not including the ventrals, which are in ten longi- 

 tudinal rows ; the hind foot laid forward sometimes reaches the ear, 

 in some specimens barely extends to the shoulder. The fore limb 

 sometimes extends to the end of the muzzle, but usually falls short of 

 it. Rostral broader than high, obtusely triangular behind. Nostrils 

 between three swollen shields which separate the single prse-frontal from 

 the rostral. Two transparent plates on the lower eyelid ; inter- 

 occipital plate usually well developed, and forms a suture with the 

 central occipital, separating the post-occipitals from each other, but 

 occasionally the inter-occipital is very minute and not sufficiently 

 produced in front to meet the central occipital, or there may be 

 another small plate interposed between the two. Colour dark slaty 

 grey above, with small black spots, often edged on one or both sides 

 by white. Lower parts white with a yellowish tinge. — Blanford. 



Hab. — Sind, Beloochistan, Persia and S. Afghanistan. The more 

 desert tracts in the vicinity of the Hubb, in Sind. Mr. Blanford says — 



