138 



MR, A. LOVERIDGE ON 



that only some longitudinal dark striations or mottlings are to 

 be seen in the preserved specimen. The chin and throat in adult 

 males only are velvety black, extending back as far as the fore 

 legs ; immature specimens have unmarked throats or like those 

 of females. The rest of the under-surface as far back as the vent 

 is orange, whilst small yellow patches mark the underside of the 

 legs. The tail is grey beneath. The throat of the female is 

 white mottled with a network of black lines ; the upper surface 

 of the head in adults is pale yellow, barred or mottled with 

 yellow ; the back is brown or greyish, with indistinct darker 

 markings. When struck sharply on the back with a cane so as 

 to be instantly killed, this Gecko frequently falls over backwards, 

 and remains attached to the tree by the sucker-apparatus of the 

 tail tip. 



Lang, in his field-notes on Lygodactylus pictut'Cttus gutteralis *, 

 speaking of this tail, writes: "but the really unique feature 

 distinguishing it from all other Geckos is the adhesive pad on 

 the tip of the tail " ; this is evidently a slip, as this is a generic 

 character f. 



The largest males taken measured 3| inches (43'43 mm.) and 

 largest female 3 J inches (38 41 mm.). It is very unusual for this 

 species to drop its tail, and most of the specimens taken had 

 intact tails. 



At Morogoro (l.i, 17) a pair were seen courting. "After 

 recent heavy rains the sun came out bright and fresh this 

 morning, and almost every tree in the avenue had a pair of 

 Yellow-headed Geckos in brilliant colour on its sunny side. A 

 pair were courting, the female chasing off the male every time he 

 approached. He arched his neck in an unusual manner and ex- 

 posed his throat, presumably to exhibit the velvety-black patch 

 peculiar to the male." 



Eggs were found at Morogoro on 1. ii. 18, at Da,r-es-Salaam on 

 11. iv.l8 (in one group of three it is just possible that two Geckos 

 had laid together ; two eggs being the usual number), and at 

 Kerogwe on 5. vii. 16. 



In the ' Catalogue of Lizards ' the colour of L. pichiratus is 

 given as " head and anterior part of body bright yellow, with 



dark brown or black lines and spots At Frere Town, 



which is situated on the mainland opposite Mombasa Island, 

 from which it is only separated by a channel not more than 

 500 yards across, is a very distinct form which has no yellow 

 head, nor yellow on any part of the body. When first seen I 

 thought it was a distinct species, but after a careful examination 

 I can detect no structural difi^erence between it and picturatus, 

 which I have seen on Mombasa Is. though never collected. In 

 the Britisli Museum is a specimen of the Frere Town form, 

 labelled " Mombasa," and collected by A. Blayney Percival, Esq., 



* Schmidt, Bull. Arner. Mus. of Nat. Hist, xxxix. 1919, p. 465. _ 

 t Mr. Sclimidt points out to me that tlie lamellae on the tail are not even a 

 jieneric distinction, as they are also found in Diplodacti/lus palmaius Moni. 



