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Show 372 DR. H. G A D O W O N EVOLUTION [Mar. 20, The adults have the upper parts dove-brown, with three rows of more or less obsolete black spots on the back, and vertical bars on the sides. There are no light stripes. The throat is spotted with black ; the chest and belly are straw-coloured, tinged with green, and varied with black and red, the pale scales being black-edged. The under surface of the thighs, hands and feet, and of the distal half of the tail is bright vermilion. This race presents an unmistakable desert type, verging as it does towards the monochrome condition, with few dark spots. The isolated occurrence of these lizards, and their bright-coloured under parts, combined with the comparatively large number of pores, femoral and humeral scales, justify their sub-specific rank to C. tessellatus, with which they are closely allied. CNEMIDOPHORUS MELANOSTETHUS Cope=variolosus Cope. The types of melanostethus in the Smithsonian Mus. are from the Lower Colorado River, others from Tucson and Fort Lowell in Arizona. The single type of C. variolosus is from Parras in Coahuila. Dr. Meek brought identical specimens from Lerdo in Nuevo Leon. These four localities lie in an almost straight line. This small species measures, adult, from 62 to 86 m m . Its most striking character is the coloration : black-blue under parts; upper parts bluish, all over vermiculated and spotted with white. The following description refers to a male and a female specimen from Lerdo:-4 supraoculars, with granules behind. No frenocular. Collar composed entirely of very small scales, and granules in several rows from the edge of the collar. Humerus of the male with 3 large and 3 smaller rows; of female with 5 large and 1 smaller row. Front of forearm: male with 3 complete very regular rows; female with 3 very irregular rows. Posterior side of arm entirely granular. Femur with 6 to 7 rows. Tibia with 2 large and 1 or 2 smaller rows. Preanal isthmus with 2-3 rows of small scales. Pores : male 22/23 ; female 23/25. Two specimens from Fort Lowell have 18/19 and 21 pores. Cope's type-specimen from Coahuila is said to have 25 pores (pp. 568, 587), but the figure on p. 588 shows only 20. The hind limb of the type is said to reach the prenasal plate. That of the Lerdo male reaches between ear and eye; that of the female reaches the posterior angle of the eye. Coloration of male: Throat blue, collar and chest black; abdomen black with white edges to the scales ; tail below much speckled with black-blue. Female : Throat, collar, and chest blue ; abdomen blue with white-edged scales; thighs blue and white; tail mostly blue.-Upper surface : bluish ground-colour, all vermiculated and spotted with yellowish white; in the female without traces of stripes, while in the male stripes 2 and 3 are still discernible. In a female specimen from Fort Lowell. British Museum, 70 mm., with eggs, stripe 1 is nearly gone, while stripes |