52 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



tubercles ; lower scales larger. Colour. — Dark-olive above, with 

 darker and lighter cross bands ; a broad black band from the eye 

 to above the shoulder, involving the tympanum ; belly pale-olive, 

 dotted with black ; throat with black longitudinal lines in the 

 young." — Boulenger. 



Total length 466 mm. 



Head 46 „ 



Width of head 39 „ 



Body 120 „ 



Fore-limb 80 „ 



Hind-limb 150 „ 



Tail 330 „ 



Habits. — Semi-aquatic; found basking in the sun on rocks and 

 fallen logs at the water-side. 



Distribution. — Victoria : Aberfeldie, Buchan, Upper Welling- 

 ton, and Snowy Rivers. 



Range outside Victoria : — Queensland. 



VARANID^. 

 Characters of the Family. 



External Form. 



Tongue smooth, veiy long and slender, bitid, retractile into 

 a sheath at the base. 



Tail very long, not fragile. 



Limbs, both pairs well developed, pentadactyle. 



Eye and Ear. — Eyelids well developed. Ear-opening distinct. 



Tegu7ne?its. 

 Head covered with small polygonal scales. No dermal cranial 

 ossifications. Dorsal scales roundish, juxtaposed, surrounded by 

 rings of minute granules. Ventral scales squarish, arranged in 

 cross rows. No femoral or pr?eanal pores. (The skin of the head 

 attached to the skull-bones.) 



Endo-skeleton. 

 Skull. — Preemaxillary single, narrowed and much prolonged pos- 

 teriorly. Nasal tones coalesced, narrow. Two frontals ; a single 

 parietal. A supraorbital bone. Postorbital arch incomplete. 



