16 



EINAR LÖNNBERG, REPTILES. 



Scincidae. 



Mahuia megalura Peters. 

 Blgr.: Cat. Lizards B. M. III, p. 195. 



A specimen was caught at Punda Melia 2 U 1911. 



I saw this lizard near Nairobi wriggle över the tops of the branched grass like 

 a snake, and it was then admirably supported by its long tail. 



This species is East African but extends into Abyssinia as well. 



Mabuia quinquetaBiiiata Licht. 

 Blgr.: Cat. Lizards B. M. III, p. 198. 



Common at Njoro N. of Guaso Nyiri. Of ten caught in mouse-traps when it 

 came to eat the ants whioh were attracted by the bait. As soon as the Lizard had 

 been killed by the trap it was eagerly attacked by the ants which entered the nost- 

 rils, cut through the skin at the axillse and spoiled many a specimen even of this 

 kind, in spite of its scales. It was also common in the thornbush-coimtry north of 

 Guaso Nyiri below Chanler Falls where specimens were procured in March 1911. 

 It is a beautiful lizard, especial]y the young ones in which the tail and partly 

 also the stripes are blue. The females of ten retain the light stripes quite sharply 

 defined and bordered by black in the adult stage. The males are olive brown. 

 The three upper stripes are in the adult only faint, but the lateral stripe is from the 

 side of the neck and all along the body bright orange red which colour also domi- 

 nates at least on the distal portion of the tail. The sides of the body are dotted with 

 small bluish white döts. The sides of the neck between the dorsolateral and the light 

 lateral stripe are marked with three black spöts separated by light boundary lines. 

 The throat is strongly marmorated with jet black which sometimes covers the whole 

 space between the light labial stripes. 



It is very widely distributed almost all över the whole continent. 



Mabuia striata Peters. 



Blgr.: Cat. Lizards B. M. III, p. 204. 



Two specimens from Mera borna l /s 1911. It seems to be confined to the in- 

 habited parts of the country. 



Widely distributed, över the continent. 



Lygosoma clathrotis Blgr. 



Blgr.: Ann. & Mag. Nat. Ilist., Ser. 7, Vol. VI, p. 194. 



A specimen of this little lizard was caught in a forest near Meru borna 22 U 

 1911 The type was obtained »from the foot of Mount Kenia». The new locality is 

 also in the Kenia district. 



