The Lizards indigenous to Victoria. 49 



with another series above the ear. Sides of neck with 

 group of spines ; no distinct dorso-lateral fold. Gular scales 

 as large as veutrals, feebly keeled, moi'e or less mucronate, 

 sometimes produced into spines. Body much depressed ; scales 

 on the middle of the back largest, unequal, keeled, the enlarged 

 ones sometimes forming transverse series ; on the sides, the scales 

 almost granular and intermixed with numerous erect conical 

 spines ; ventral scales feebly keeled. Limbs, and especially 

 digits, short ; the adpressed hind-limb reaches the axilla or the 

 shoulder ; four or five femoral and two or three prpeanal pores on 

 each side. Tail round, depressed at the base, once and a half to 

 twice as long as head and body, above with large unequal strongly 

 keeled or spinose scales forming more or less regular cross series. 

 Colour. — Brown above, uniform or with symmetrical darker 

 markings ; usually a black spot on each side of the neck ; lower 

 surfaces brown or brownish, uniform or with lighter or darker 

 spots ; the throat blackish in the adult male. 



-Boulenger. 



Habits. — Usually found on the ground, or fallen trees and 

 fences. When irritated, it raises its head, opens its mouth and 

 extends the fi'ill, at the same time expanding its ribs so that the 

 body assumes almost the form of a disk. It will then bite 

 savagely, but the result is rarely more than a hard pinch. 



Mode of reproduction. — Eggs usually twelve or fourteen. The 

 oviduct of one captured in October contained fourteen full-size 

 eggs with definite groups of two other sizes, one the size of small 

 peas and the other about the size of millet seed. This seems to 

 point to three consecutive layings. 



Distribution. — Victoria : " Rare near Melbourne but becomes 

 gradually more abundant in all the more northern warm localities 

 up to the Murray boundary " (McCoy, Prod. Zool. Vict.); 

 North of the Divide (L. and R) 



