854 Voyage Scientijique en Moree. 



Emys Caspica (Gmelin) is common in the shallow streams of the 

 Morea, and in those of the Isle of Tenos. 



We have thus a respectable addition to our scanty knowledge of 

 these reptiles. There is little doubt that the aquatic species could 

 very easily be naturalised in our streams and artificial waters of the 

 south and west of Eugland, where there is depth to enable them to 

 secure themselves against the winter's cold. They are perfectly in- 

 nocuous in every respect, and as the steam-boats which now traverse 

 the Mediterranean in all directions give great facility for their trans- 

 port, they would form an interesting appendage to them. We can- 

 not speak from personal knowledge as to their fitness for the table, 

 never having tasted them, but we have heard that one of the terres- 

 trial species, probably T. Greeca, formed a favourite item in the Lent 

 fare of the luxurious inhabitants of the wealthier convents in the 

 south of Italy, before their suppression at the time of the French in- 

 vasion. Our informant complained only of their highly stimulating 

 and nutritious properties, which ought to have made the worthy 

 monks cautious in the use of them. 



Amongst the Saurians, a new lizard, under the name of L. Pelo- 

 pennesiaea, is introduced. It is nearly allied to Lacerta muralis, the 

 green lizard of the south of Europe, but the palatal teeth are want- 

 ing, and the lateral parts of the head behind the eyes are said to dif- 

 fer, the scales being nearly equal and polygonal, without the large 

 central scale, as in the neighbouring species. It was found in the 

 Morea and in the islands with L. muralis, but is less common. 



We should scarcely, after the description which is given, expect to 

 find the animal represented as almost wholly bright green, but so the 

 artist has turned it out. It is so managed that the very spots or 

 blotches meant to represent " noiratres," look like deeper tints of 

 the same colour. This inattention is inexcusable, otherwise the plates, 

 especially that of S. muralis, are beautiful. 



Another new saurian is given as Algyroides Moreoticus, being of 

 a genus established by MM. Dumeril and Bibron to distinguish it 

 from Algyras, owing to some slight difference discovered in the 

 scales. It is a small but very beautiful species. 



The Stenodactylus guttatus of Cuvier, (Agame ponctuee of the 

 great work on Egypt, and hitherto not observed out of that country,) 

 was found in some part of Greece, but the locality is not given, which 

 we would much rather had been the case. Its congener, the S. ver- 

 miculatus, which is common in the south of Europe, was found at 

 Modon, Argos, &c. 



