THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 891.— September 15th, 1915. 



THE BEPTILES OF THE MALTESE ISLANDS, 

 By G. Despott. 



Op the vertebrates of Malta this is the class that is most 

 poorly represented, numbering only seven species ; amongst 

 them, however, are found a variety and a form or two of 

 particular interest, they being peculiar to some of the islets com- 

 posing the Maltese group. 



Beginning with the Geckos, we have : (1) the Turkish Gecko 

 (Hemidactylus turcicus, Linn.) ; (2) the Wall-Gecko (Tarentola 

 mauritanica, Linn.). 



The Turkish Gecko is found more commonly inside houses, 

 not only in villages but even in towns. According to my 

 personal experience, I can say that this species is by no means 

 common. 



The Wall-Gecko is also met with at times inside houses ; it 

 prefers, however, the country, where it is rather abundant, 

 inhabiting the crevices of rocks and old walls, out of which it 

 emerges at twilight. Of this species, individuals are found of a 

 very dark, almost black, colour ; these seem to be more arboreal 

 in their habits, showing a predilection for the old trunks of 

 trees, orange trees especially. 



Both these species are oviparous, laying two white hard- 

 shelled eggs, the size of a moderately-sized pea. I often kept 

 these eggs, which in due course hatched, independently, appar- 

 ently, of a fixed temperature. The young of the Turkish Gecko 

 are at first very dark and have banded tails. As they grow they 



Zool. 4th ser. vol. XIX., September, 1915. c 2 



IS 19U. 



