88 BARBOUR: ZOOGEOGRAPHY. 



Hydrosaurus weberi Barbour. 

 Plate 4, fig. 10. 

 Barbour, Proc. Biol. soc. Wash., 1911, 24, p. 20. 



Type locality: — Weeda, Halmahera Island. 



This distinct species was described on the basis of two adults (male and 

 female) from Halmahera. A series of young examples of various ages show 

 that the species occurs on Ternate also. Probably the examples recorded from 

 Batjan belong here too. 



This, the largest of the sail-tailed lizards, is apparently confined to the 

 Halmahera group of the Moluccas. A head of the Philippine species, H. pustu- 

 losus (Eschscholtz) , is figured for comparison (PI. 4, fig. 9). 



Varanus salvator (Laurenti). 

 Laurenti, Syn. Kept., 1768, p. 56. Boulenger, Cat. lizards Brit, mus., 1885, 2, p. 314. 



Type locality: — "America." 



Specimens from Buitenzorg, Java, are in each of the Javan collections seen. 

 The species is a very common, variable, and wide-ranging one. Its distribution 

 is given in the table appended. 



Varanus indicus (Daudin). 

 Daudin, Hist. nat. rept., 1802, 3, p. 46, pi. 30. Boulenger, Cat. lizards Brit, mua., 1885, 2, p. 316. 



Type locality: — Ambon. 



This was a common Moluccan species. Specimens were preserved from 

 Ceram, Ternate, and Halmahera. 



This species frequents mangrove, nipa, and sago swamps especially. It is 

 not apparently fond of climbing, but can do so, though far less ably than Hydro- 

 saurus, which is generally associated with it. It swims, of course, with ease. 

 A small swampy pond some miles to the westward of the town of Ternate lies 

 in what is apparently the bed of an old crater. One side is blown down, so that 

 it may be approached at almost sea-level, while otherwise it is shut in by a perfect 

 amphitheatre of hills. About the shores of this lake, these monitors occur in 

 great droves; and the helter-skelter rush for the edge of the pond on the part 

 of these great lizards as we approached reminded one only of the pictures of 

 Amblyrynchus on the rocky shores of the Galapagos Islands, living under 

 conditions so totally different. 



Mr. A. E. Pratt's collection brings in one from the Aru Islands. 



The table (p. 197) may be consulted for the distribution. 



