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Show 1899.] LIZARDS F R O M BRITISH EAST AFRICA. 97 parietal; temple granular, with a feebly enlarged tympanic plate. A distinct gular fold; 25 gular scales on a line between the collar and the third pair of chin-shields; collar even-edged, composed of 10 plates. Dorsal scales rhomboidal, keeled, juxtaposed or sub-imbricate ; laterals a little smaller; 40 scales across the middle of the body ; 2 or 3 lateral scales correspond to the length of a ventral plate. Yentrals tetragonal, broader than long, in 8 longitudinal and 24 transverse series ; the plates of the series next to the median nearly twice as broad as the one on the iuner side and once and a half the one on the outer side ; the outermost plates very small. Praeanal with a large plate in front of it. The hind limb reaches the collar-fold. Scales on upper surface of tibia smaller than dorsals. Femoral pores 16-17. Upper caudal scales strongly keeled, with truncate or obtusely pointed posterior border. Brown above, darker on the sides, Avhich are stellate with small white, black-edged ocelli; upper surface of head and back Avith small black spots ; a large black spot on each upper labial; uniform whitish beneath. millim. millim. Total length 175 From end of snout to Head , 19 vent 70 Width of head 12 Fore limb 26 From end of snout to Hind limb 37 fore limb 29 Tail (reproduced) . . 105 A single male specimen from ' Ravine Station,' Mau Mountains, on the main route from Mombasa to Lake Victoria, at an altitude of 7500 feet, was presented to the British Museum by Mr. F. J. Jackson, C.B. The discovery of a Lacerta allied to L. muralis in tropical Africa is one of very great interest. So far, this essentially Palaearctic genus Avas represented south of the Atlas by a single somewhat aberrant species, L. echinata Cope, from the coast of Guinea. The same collection has yielded three specimens of a Lizard for which I propose the name of CHAMPS AURA ANNECTENS. It connects C. didactyla Blgr., with which it agrees in the shape and proportions of the head and body and the didactyle hind limb, with C. tenuior Gthr., by having only 24 scales round the body and a single femoral pore. 37 to 39 transverse TOAVS of scales betAveen the occiput and the base of the tail. TelloAvish or pale brownish, with four pale brown stripes, the median pair edged with black on the outer side; lower surface of head and body white. millim. millim. Total length 45 Fore limb 45 Head 17 Hind limb 9 Width of head 8 Tail (reproduced) .. 300 The extreme forms of this genus are shown to be more and PBOC. ZOOL. Soc-1899, No. VII. 7 |