Zoology.'] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. \_Reptiles. 



about four-fifths the length of the interparietal, the anterior temporals only slightly 

 smaller than the second row; earopenino: with three or four large lobe scales pro- 

 jecting from anterior margin. Scales subhexagonal, or with posterior edge rounded 

 on belly, smooth below, nearly smooth on back, in some specimens distinctly marked 

 with from three to eight irregular longitudinal ridges, which are either straight and 

 simple, or branching and anastomosing ; forty round middle of body, those of the 

 sides slightly smaller than those of the back and belly : ten supralabial plates, the 

 fifth larger than the fourth or sixth, ninth very large : infralabials, eleven ; chin plate 

 transversely oblong, twice as wide as deep, width equalling three succeeding inira- 

 labials ; three large lateral gular plates on each side, with one azygous gular behind 

 the chin plate in front. Colour : Above light brown, with four or five, broad, trans- 

 verse, blackish-brown bands, nine or ten scales wide (in some specimens these 

 transverse bands are broken up irregularly by some lighter scales), with narrower, 

 lighter intervals between, five or six scales wide, and three or four dark bands on 

 tail, separated by slif^htly wider light spaces; top of the head dark brown, with a 

 broad, brownish-black, ovate patch, extending from eye to upper part of ear; limbs 

 and under-side of throat, belly and tail brownish-white, the distal part of limbs 

 darker above; rough warty plates of soles of the feet and transverse subdigital 

 plates brownish-black ; iris dark brown; tongue bright Prussian blue ; interior of 

 mouth pink. 



Measurements. 



Total length of average specimen 



Length of head from snout to anterior edge of ear 



Width of head 



Length of iuternasal plate ... 



Width of „ „ ... 



Length of frontal plate 



Greatest width of frontal plate 



Length of interparietal 



Greatest width of interparietal 



Length of middle pair of first row of oocipitals 



Length of second „ „ „ 



Length of third „ „ ,, 



Height of rostral plate 



Diameter of ear 



From tip of snout to anterior edge of shoulder 



Length of anterior limb to tip of longest claw 



„ of longest toe and claw 



„ from anterior edge of shoulder to anterior edge of thigh 



„ of hind limb to e.xtremity of longest claw 



„ of tail 

 Girth round middle of body 

 Six transverse and seven longitudinal rows of scales in space of one inch on 

 middle of back. 



Reference. — Peters, Monatsberichte, Berlin Akad., 1863, p. 231 = C.fasciatus, 

 Liitken Vidensk. Meddel, 1862, p. 292, t. 1, f 1. 



This species is readily distinguished from the other two of the 

 genus (figui-ed in our pkites 73 and 131) by the great number and 

 size of the rows of occipital plates behind the inter-parietal. The 

 head is also more pointed, and the colouring, which more nearly 

 resembles that of C. gigas than C. nigroluteus, is distinguished by 

 the smaller number and greater width of the transverse bands 



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