Zoology.-] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [lieptiles. 



Measurements— con<j«Merf. 



Queensland Gippsland Gippsland 



Speclmen. Specdien. Specimen. 



Ft. ins. lines. Ft. in. lines. Ft.ins. lines. 



Diameter of large spinose scales ou sides of body IJ ... o 1^ ... o o 1 

 Number of rows of scales in 3 lines at middle of body Five ... Five ... Six 



Number of scales in 3 lines at anterior part of top 



of the head lengthwise Five ...Three to four Three & a half 

 » }> ill the supraorbital ) Ten lengthwise, Six lengthwise, Seven lengthwise, 



patches ( fourteen across ten across ten across 



)» )) between SUpraorbitali Eight lengthwise, Four lengthwise, Five lengthwise, 



patches ) eleven across eight across eight across 



„ ,, in middle of belly ... Three ... Five ... Five 



Length of chin plate ... 

 Width of same at upper base 

 Height of rostral plate 

 * Width of same 



Reference. — Lophura Lesueri (Gray), Syn. Rept. in Griffith ed. of Cuv. Anim. 

 Kino-d. V. 9, p. 60 = Istlurus id. (Dumeril and Bibron), Erpt. Gen. v. 4, p. 384, t. 40 

 = Physignathus id. (Gray), Cat. Liz. B. M. = Amphibolurics heterurus (Peters), 

 Monatsbericlite der Konig-lich Preuss. Akad. der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1866, p. 86. 



The bladder-like inflation of the hinder part of the head near the 

 hind angle of the jaws, from which the genus derives its name, is 

 very striking in these aquatic Lizards, which inhabit rivers, in which 

 they swim well, from the wide expansion or horizontal fringe of 

 scales on the sides of the long stout toes. 



The larger conoidal scales form irregular rows on the sides of 

 the head and vertically across the sides of the body and base of 

 tail, amongst the greatly more numerous ordinary small ones. 



The only difference I observe between this and the typical 

 P. Lesueri of Queensland is the greater width in proportion to the 

 height of the rostral plate in the Queensland one ; and the super- 

 ocular group of scales being about one-half the size of the others 

 on the anterior part of the top of the head, instead of being only 

 J or J- the size, as Peters states ;f and as it is improbable that 

 such creatures would have so great a geographical range as to 

 be common to Gippsland and Queensland, with such an enormous 

 space between the rivers, I name the variety or probable species 

 after that excellent geologist, magistrate, and bushman, my accom- 

 plished friend Mr. A. Howitt, who, with his multifarious and 

 laborious duties, in so difficult a country to traverse, is always ready 



* These measurements are, in c.ich of the three specimens, t.ikcn across, the points of the compass touching each 

 lateral suture ; if measured in two halves from centre to each lateral suture along the curved surface, the Queensland 

 one measures five lines and the two Victorian four lines each. 



t " Die Supraorbitalschuppen sind auffallcnd klein, 3 bis 4 Mai kleiner als die Schuppen des Vorderkopfes." 



Dec. IX, [91 B 



