Zoology.'} 



NATUEAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. 



[^Reptiles. 



Plate 41, Fig. 1. 



HYDROSAURUS VARIUS (Shaw sp.). 

 The Lace Lizard. 



[Genus HTDROSAURIJS (Waolek). (Sub-kingd. Vertebrata. Class Reptilia. Order 

 Sauria. Sub-Order Leptoglossie. Fam. Monitoridfe.) 



Gen. Char. — Nostrils longitudinally oral, near the tip of sides of muzzle ; taillong, slender, 

 compressed, with a small double dorsal keel of 2 longitudinal rows of scales a little larger 

 than those of sides. Toes long, slender, unequal, separate, terminated each by a large, short, 

 curved claw. Teeth lodged in a furrow in the jaws (none on the palate), compressed, the two 

 edges serrated. Scales small, granular, not imbricated, each surrounded with smaller granules. 

 Australia and Asia.] 



Description. — Form : body very elongate, ovate, slightly depressed ; tail very 

 long', moderately compressed ; head oblong, flattened above, with nearly vertical sides 

 tapering to the semielliptically rounded muzzle ; nostrils near the tip of snout, longi- 

 tudinally oval ; a laterally-projecting ridge over each eye ; plates about the orbit 

 very small, suhequal. Teeth: about 10 or 11 on each side in each jaw, the middle 

 ones largest ; triangular, gently arched backwards, very much compressed, the sharp 

 anterior and posterior edges very finely serrated. Scales : small, convex, oval, 

 surrounded with granules, those of head polygonal, small, subequal ; those of super- 

 ciliary ridge very small, subequal. Color : all above coal-black, the body with about 

 a dozen transverse bands of short, interrupted, transverse lines of pale yellow, about 

 a scale wide, the bands varying from 2 to 10 scales wide irregularly, with usually a 

 few large, irregular yellow blotches, about 3 scales long and wide on the back ; the 

 anterior legs and toes have irregular bands of yellow scales of very varying width 

 and disposition, the hinder legs having the yellow disposed more in the form of 

 transverse rows of spots ; about 3 or 4 strongly marked black bands across the throat, 

 with the intervening broad spaces bright chrome-yellow, behind which, on lower part 

 of neck, the light parts are tinted with cobalt-blue ; iris yellow ; tail with very 

 variable, transverse, narrow, yellow lines until near the extremity, where one or two 

 patches, 30 to 50 scales long, are usually nearly or quite uninterrupted yellow, a 

 variable length of the tip of the tail being usually also of the same color ; on under- 

 side the pale yellow preponderates over the narrow, irregular, black markings. 



The following are the measurements of the young, figured specimen, and one of 

 average size : — 



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