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Show 506 MR. G. A. BOULENGER ON THE [May 18, extends down the middle line of the belly; there is a blue or green spot, often edged or surrounded with black, on each side of the throat, and a black bar in front of the shoulder, sometimes extending across the neck ; breast whitish ; the two blue spots of the throat sometimes confluent into one. In females, the lower parts are whitish, uniform or with some small brown spots ; a pair of blue spots is sometimes present on the throat. The Western form is often more olive above, sometimes greenish, and the dark dorsal markings are frequently more in the form of large blotches in two or four longitudinal series ; a light dorsolateral stripe is frequently well defined. The blue patches on the sides of the belly are usually as well developed in females and young as in males ; the latter, however, not unfrequently differ in having the whole of the lower surfaces not occupied by the blue colour of a uniform black. Although I a m perfectly satisfied that the specimens here enumerated (see p. 505) cannot be divided into several species, yet it would be desirable to attempt some sort of classification into varieties. Eor such a purpose, however, m y material is insufficient, and the desultory and often misleading descriptions of supposed species hitherto published in America are of no service. On examination of a small material one would feel tempted to divide the species into an Eastern (typical) and a Western form (var. hiserlatus, Hallow., with which, according to Stejneger, m y var. bocourtl is identical), the latter being distinguished by a rather larger size, larger ear-lobules, and the presence of a large patch of blue on the sides of the belly in females and young. But the size of the ear-lobules varies, and some Western specimens have them no larger than in the typical form. I have carefully compared specimens from Monterey, which Stejneger refers to S. occidentalis, with others referred by the same authority to S. hiseriatus, and cannot find any difference by which to separate them. Hab. This species has a wide range in North America, extending from North Mexico to N e w Jersey on the east coast and British Columbia on the west. Its range in Mexico cannot at present be traced; but a specimen collected at Tzabal, Guatemala, by Mr. Salvin, certainly belongs to it. 17. SCELOPORUS ELONGATUS. Sceloporus elongatus, Stejneger, N . A m . Eaun. no. 3, 1890, p. 111. This species appears to be very closely allied to S. gratiosus. It is described as follows :- " Head-shields smooth ; occipital [interparietal] comparatively small, but broader than parietals; two or three parietals on each side; two scales on canthus rostralis; supraoculars, one large row and three small subequal ones, two outer and one inner; five free scales in front of ear-opening; dorsal rows nearly parallel; lateral scales bur little smaller, in oblique rows; scales on shoulders large, |
