XII VARAN IDAE ; 543 



covered with very small juxtaposed scales and tubercles above, 

 while the ventral scales are S(i[uarish and arranged in transverse 

 rows. Osteoderms are entirely a1)8enl. 1'he tail is very long, 

 often laterally compressed. The teeth are large and ])ointe(l, 

 dilated at the base. The preniaxilla is unpaired and dorsally 

 extends backwards to the likewise unpaired nasal. There is a 

 pair of small supra-orbital l)ones, easily lost during maceration. 

 The orbit is open behind, the jugal being short and not meet- 

 ing the postfrontal ; the postorl)ital forms a slender arch with 

 the supratemporal. The vomers are long an<l diverge posteriorly. 

 The palatines, pterygoids, 

 and ectopterygoids enclose 

 on either side an oval 

 infra - orbital foramen. 

 The Varanidae contain 

 only one genus, Varanus, 

 with nearly thirty species 

 in Africa, Southern Asia, 

 and Australia, but not in 

 Madao-ascar. ^ varanidae 



"O 



VaTanns.—'Ihe name i''«- iy9-->iap «llo^viugtl>e distribution 



ot the v aramdae. 



of " Monitor " bestowed 



upon these creatures has a curious origin, owing to a ridiculous 

 etymological mistake. The Arabic term for Lizard is " Ouaran " ; 

 this has been wrongly taken to mean warning lizard, hence the 

 Latin Monitor, one of the many synonyms of this genus, e.g. 

 Hydrosaurus and Psammosaurus. Many of the " ]\Ionitors " are 

 semi-a(iuatic, others inhabit dry, sandy districts, while others are 

 at home in well- wooded localities. They are all rapacious, taking 

 whatever animals they can master according to their size, whicli 

 in some species amounts to 6 or 7 feet. 



V. niloticus inhabits the whole of Africa, except tlie north- 

 western part. It reaches a length of more than 5 feet. The colour 

 of the adult is l)rownish or greenish grey above, with darker reticu- 

 lations and yellowish ocellated spots on the back and limbs. The 

 imder parts are yellowish with blackish cross-bands. The groimd- 

 colour of the young is black above with yellow lines on the 

 head and neck, and with yellow spots on the back and limbs ; the 

 tail has black and yellow bars. 



V. salvator ranges from Nepal to Ceylon, Cape York, and 



