Art. II. — TJie Lizards indigenous to Victoria. 

 (With Plate II.) 



By A. H. S. Lucas, M.A., B.gc, and C. Frost, F.L.S. 



[Eead 13tli April, 1893]. 



The arrangement which we have adopted is that followed by 

 Mr. G. A. Boulenger in the Catalogue of the Lizards in the 

 British Museum., 2nd Edition, London, 1885. The characters of 

 the Families, of the Genera, and of most of the Species have been 

 taken from that work, in some cases verbatim, and in others in 

 a slightly modified form. In all cases we have carefully verified 

 the descriptions by the examination of as many specimens as we 

 could obtain, and the modifications and additions which we have 

 made have been suggested by our own observations, frequently 

 made upon the living animals. We have included all the 

 information which we have been able to gather as to the habits 

 and the distributions of the lizards. The colouration of adult 

 lizards we find to vary within wide limits in the case of many of 

 the species, but the colour and pattern of the adults can often be 

 explained and understood if considered as derived from the 

 colour and pattern of young individuals, in which they are 

 usually much more marked and constant. We have therefore, 

 when able, described in some detail the colouration of young 

 specimens. We have had the advantage of studying all the 

 specimens preserved in the National Museum of Victoria, and we 

 have to acknowledge, gratefully, the kindness and courtesy of Sir 

 Frederick McCoy in placing the collection at our disposal for 

 examination. We desire also to thank the following gentlemen 

 who have assisted us in obtaining material : Professor W. B. 

 Spencer, Dr. Dendy, C. French, Esq., F.L.S. , Dudley Le Souef, 

 Esq., Assistant Director of the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, 

 W. von Fremersdorff, Esq., Director of the Maryborough School of 

 Mines, Thomas Steel, Esq., F.C.S., the Rev. E. H. Hennell, 

 Geo. Lyell, Junr., Esq., C. C. Brittlebank, Esq., F. Reader, Esq., 

 C. French, Junr., Esq., G. Morton, Esq., C. Martin, Esq., H. 

 Giles, Esq., and R. Embleton, Esq. 



