RECORDS OF SOUTH AFRICAN LACERTILIA AND AMPHIBIA, 
ADDENDA AND CORRIGENDA. 
By John Hewitt, B.A., Cantab., Director of Albany Museum. 
This paper includes some new records of lizards and frogs and a few correc- 
tions on my previous records (Vol. II, pp. 29 and 77, of these Annals, and 
Records Albany Museum, Vol. II, p. 190). There has recently been pub- 
lished important papers dealing with the South African Fauna by Dr. 
Werner on the collections of Schultze’s expedition in German South-West 
Africa (Schultze, Forschungreise in Siidafrika, IY), and by Mr. Boulenger 
on the collections of the South African Museum (Annals South African 
Museum, Yol. V, pt. 9). Some of the records given in the latter paper appear 
to be incorrect, and therefore I venture to make certain alternative sugges- 
tions which may prevent the perpetuation of possible error and at any 
rate should direct the attention of other workers to some of the problems 
of distribution peculiar to this sub-continent. Of course, it is not to be 
expected that the more delicate problems of distribution in South Africa 
wijl be solved for us through lists compiled by the authorities in Europe ; 
but it is of importance to us that the publications of an eminent herpe- 
tologist should not be marred by the inclusion of doubtful locality data. 
A rather less serious source of confusion arises from the fact that 
every authority has his own value for the terms “ species ” and “ variety ”, 
with the result that we are presented with many conflicting opinions ; 
but not until the work is undertaken by men who have an intimate know- 
ledge of the local conditions and who, with representative collections at 
their disposal, will concentrate their attention on the South African fauna 
as such, can we hope to have a correct valuation of the various species 
and their varieties. 
One of the outstanding facts of vertebrate distribution in this region 
is that in passing from east to west there is a very considerable change of 
fauna, the species of Natal and eastern Cape Province being represented 
in western Cape Province by different species of the same genera ; in 
other cases western genera do not occur at all in eastern Cape Province, 
and vice versa. The questions arise, what are the boundary lines? are 
they conterminous with physical or geographical barriers ? and are there 
any intermediates or do the specific areas overlap ? I may add that for 
such problems the lizards and tortoises (see Dr. Duerden in Report 
S. A. A. S., 1906, p. 178) * are quite the most suitable of all 
vertebrates, as their scale characters are so easily defined ; frogs offer 
special difficulties, as they possess no clearly marked specific characters. 
It is absolutely essential that critical determinations should be based only 
* This suggestive paper cm be commended to all students of geographical distribution. 
