REPTILES. 
11 
Proctotretus Fitzingerii. 
Plate V, — Fig. 1. 
Cajjite sqiiamis lavibus, 7ion mibricatis ; margine anteriore aurium gi'amdoso ; sqiiamis 
supi'olahialihus ovalibus, in serie miicd clispositis ; squamis dorsalibus parum cari- 
natis, posfice obtusis. Facie posteriore femorum prcecipuh granulosa sed portione, 
caudam versus, squamis majoribus, rhomboideis imbricatis tecta. 
Proctotretus Fitzingerii, Bibr. 1. c. p. ‘28G. 
Habitat, Patagonia. 
Description. — General form thick and robust, the head short being nearly as broad as it is long. 
The muzzle slightly rounded. Scales of the head flat, small and numerous. Two scales only 
behind the rostral and between those which are pierced by the nostrils. Those over the nose 
and around the occipital scales being larger and more regularly arranged than the others. 
The ear is large, oval, the anterior margin having, towards the upper part, about three small, 
oval, granular, very slightly projecting scales. Temples covered with small, rounded or slightly 
hexagonal scales, which are scarcely imbricated. A single range of rather broad oval scales 
between the orbit and the upper lip. Scales of the sides of the neck, and above and behind 
the shoulder small, granular. The trunk thick ; scales of the back very small, imbricated, very 
slightly carinated, and not pointed behind ; those of the under parts smooth and rhomboidal. 
The legs are short and robust. The anterior pair, placed against the side do not extend 
backwards more than halfway to the thigh. The posterior pair do not quite reach the arms. 
The posterior face of the thighs is covered with granular scales, excepting a large patch near 
the groin rising to near the upper surface of the thigh, which are imbricated and rhomboidal, 
similar to those of the inferior surface of the thigh. The scales of the upper part of the toes 
are smooth, those beneath have one or two slight carinm. 
This species varies very much in colour ; three or four tolerably distinct varieties may be 
noticed, but they often pass more or less into each other. As I have only one of these varieties 
in my possession, I quote the following description from Mons. Bibron’s account of the 
specimens in the French Museum. 
Var. A. Les parties superieures sont grises, ou bien d’un brun marron plus ou moins 
clair. II regne au long du cou et du dos quatre series de taches noires, bordees de blanc en 
arriere. La queue et les membres offrent des bandes transversales anguleuse, d’un teint 
marron noiratre, alternant avec des bandes semblables mais de couleur blanche. Les regions 
inferieures aussi sont blanches, excepte la gorge, qui est parcourue par des raies confluentes 
brunes. D’autres raies d’un brun marron sont imprimees verticalement, sur les levres. 
Var. B. Cette variete se distingue de la precedente, en ce que le dessus de ses membres 
est ponctue de noiratre, et que les quatre series de taches qui ornent le dos de la premiere 
variete sont appliquees ici sur un fond fauve jaunatre. Puis la gorge est verdatre et le ventre 
noir, marbre de blanc. 
