terior angle acute, the others slightly truncated; fronto-nasal separated
from each other by the intervention of a small subquadrangular plate;
frontal lengthened, and broadest at its anterior extremity, its margin anteriorly
truncated ; fronto-parietal plates contiguous, and irregularly four-sided;
inter-parietal large, four-sided, anteriorly triangular, posteriorly truncated,
Occipital plate, small and subovate; palpebral plates, two, forming an oval
disc, which exteriorly, anteriorly, and posteriorly, is edged with small granular
scales; freno-nasal, small and quadrangular; freno-ocular, larger,
somewhat triangular, the anterior angle slightly truncated ; ante-ocular scales
very small, the anteriormost the largest; plates of upper lip, in front of large
infra-orbital plate, four, posterior to it three; of lower lip, seven or eight,
exclusive of the chin plate, vide Plate XLVIII. Figs. 4 and 4a. Ear-opening
large, vertically subovate, its edges are smooth, and two scales larger
than the others are observed anteriorly, close to its upper extremity.
Scales of back and upper parts of sides small, nearly circular, and placed
like stones in a pavement; scales of under surface of neck, small, subovate,
or subcircular, flat and slightly imbricate ; plates edging, ante-pectoral fold
quadrangular, and about ten in number. The first and second rows of pectoral
plates are oblong and quadrangular, the remainder smaller, less
lengthened, and not disposed in such regular rows; plates of belly, in
rows which extend almost directly across, fourteen plates in each of the
longest rows ; pre-anal plates in several rows, five plates in each of the two
middle ones; femoral pores, twelve or thirteen. Scales of the upper and
lateral parts of the tail carinated, of the under parts smooth, quadrangular,
and those towards its base narrowest posteriorly ; scales of fore legs, towards
body, small, smooth, and imbricate, anteriorly, towards toes, large and
quadrangular; scales of hinder legs small, and somewhat circular, and, anteriorly
towards body, and inferiorly towards toes, a covering of rather large
plates, which, in the first-mentioned position, are disposed in a regular and
longitudinal row. Under eyelid coated externally with a number of small
semi-pellucid plates. When the anterior extremities are extended along the
sides of the neck, the point of the longest toe reaches exactly to the point of
the nose, and when the hinder ones are applied along the sides, the point of
the longest toe reaches to the base of the fore leg.
Length from the point of the nose to the vent 2 inches 3 lines, length of the tail 4 inches 3 lines.
Inhabits the Karoo flats, on the south-west coast of Africa, particularly Little Namaqualand,
towards the Great Orange River. It is wild, extremely watchful, and moves from place to place
with great rapidity.
R e p t il ia .— P l a t e XLV. F i g . 2.
E. supeme subgrisea, lineis quinque longitudmalibus, mgro-bniimeis varicgatis, lined media antice fureata;
scutis nasalibus disjunct«; scute parvo quadrangular! inter scuta fronto-nasalia; dorsr squamis parvjs
subcircularibus in ordinibus transversis dispositis, et inter ordines squamis mmut.ss.mis; scute ven-
tralibus ordine transverse, sexdecim; poris femoralibus novem, uhquando undecim.
Longitcdo e nasi apice ad anum 2 line. 3 lin.; caudle 4 unc. 3 lin.
Lacerta Capensis, Smith, Mag. of Zool. and Bot. (New Series) vol. ii. p. 93. =
C o l o u r .— The colour of the upper and lateral parts of the head, and of the
outer surface of the extremities, a brownish purple-red, the latter parts variegated
with a few scattered, small, whitish spots. The back and the upper
parts of the sides bluish grey variegated with five more or less defined longitudinal
liver-brown lines, which terminate on the base of the tail; one of these
lines, the narrowest, extends along the middle of the back, is forked towards
the head, and posteriorly consists in general of only a series of fine short streaks,
the others, two on each side, are rather broader, and consist of irregularly
shaped spots, in some specimens like the letter X, and more or less connected.
The upper surface of the tail pale yellowish grey, towards the base
tinted with asparagus-green. The under surface of the head, the body, and
the'tail, and the inner surfaces of the extremities, yellowish white. Toes aV
claws light yellowish brown, with a semi-transparent appearance. Eyes dark
chestnut-brown. , ,
F o rm , &c.—Body moderately robust, sides rather bulging ; head lengthened,
posteriorly rather broad and four sided, anteriorly narrow and tapered ; nose
slightlyobtuse and rounded. Temples slightly protuberant. Nasal plates separated
from each other by the intervention of the anterior and lengthened ang e
of the rhomboidal naso-rostralplate; fronto-nasal plates apart, with a small sub-
quadrangular plate connecting them; frontal plate lengthened, club-shaped, and
its anterior and posterior edges arched ; fronto-parietal plates contiguous ; interparietal
rhomboidal, broadest anteriorly, and with a small granular elevation