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Show 1895.] BATRACHIANS FROM ADEN. 645 minimize its importance and negative its value even as a specific character. Moreover, it is not confined to Latastia, as it is not unfrequent in Lacerta, Eremias, &c. The next character of Philochortus is the small size of the praefrontal suture, but this can hardly be accepted as of generic import, in view of tbe great variability of this suture among individuals of a species in almost every genus of the Lacertidce. The presence of a small partition separating the nostril from the first labial is not peculiar to Philochortus, as a similar structure exists in Latastia, but developed to a less extent, so that from a structural point of view, in this respect, the twro nostrils are generically identical. In the former, the nostril is between two shields, but in Lacerta and Eremias the nostril is formed by two and three, and by three and four shields respectively, and in Latastia, as defined by M r . Boulenger, by two and three nasals, so that Philochortus is embraced by it. In all its other details Philochortus resembles Latastia, so that there are no reasons w h y this Aden lizard should have generic rank conferred on it. The Lacerta spinalis, Peters \ from Abyssinia is a form closely allied to Latastia neumanni, Matschie, with enlarged scales down the middle of its back, but nearly smooth instead of being strongly keeled. The two have the nuchal scales granular. " The only two specimens of this lizard in the collection were taken on a camel-tract between Lahej and Shaikh Othman. It occurs on the same kind of ground as Acanthodactylus boskianus, and A. cantoris." Herr Oscar Neumann's specimen, howrever, was obtained at Lahej in very long grass, a circumstance that suggested the term Philochortus to Herr Matschie. Since the foregoing remarks were written, Herr Neumann has visited London, and, in order that there should be no misunderstanding about the genus Philochortus, he wrote to Berlin for the type, and on its arrival he placed it at m y disposal for comparison with Colonel Yerbury's specimens. This I have done, and with the result that the opinion I have expressed above requires in no way to be modified. In Herr Neumann's lizard the little shield between the interparietal and the occipital is even less than in Colonel Yerbury's specimens. The tail bears the mark of a cicatrix, which fully accounts for its shortness compared with the other Lahej specimens. 9. ACANTHODACTYLUS BOSKIANUS, Daud. 2 cf» 9 2,4 hgr., and 2 juv. Aden and Haithalhim. These specimens belong to the coarse type of lepidosis, as is proved by the number of scales around the middle of the bodv 1 Monatsb. Berl. Ac. 1874, p. 369, pi. vii. fig. 2. |