The Lizards indigeiious to Victoria. 53 



A bony postfronto-squamosal arch. Pterygoids and palatines 

 widely separated. Infraorbital fossa bounded by the pterygoid, 

 palatine and transverse bone, the maxillary being excluded. 



Teeth large, dilated at the base which is fixed to the inner side 

 of the jaws. Palate toothless. 



Limb-arches. — Clavicle slender. Interclavicle anchor-shaped. 



Mode of Reproduction. 

 Oviparous. 



Varaxus, Merrem. 

 The only genus. Characters those of the Family. 



Varanus varius, Shaw. 



Hydrosaurus varius, Cray, Cat, p. 12 ; McCoy, Prodr. Zool. 

 Vict., pi. 41. 



Lacerta varia, Shaw in White's Voy. N.S. Wales, p. 246, pi. 

 iii., fig. 2, and Zool. Misc. iii., pi. Ixxxiii. 



Tupinambis variegatus, Daud., Rept. iii., p. 76. 



Varanus varius, Meri\ Tent., p. 58 ; Dum. and Bibr. iii., p. 491. 



Hydrosaurus variegatus, Wagl. Syst. Amph., p. 164. 



Monitor varius, Gray, Grifi". A.K. ix., Syn., p. 25 ; Schleg. 

 Abbild., p. 78. 



Varanus {Hydrosaurus) niustelinus, De Borre, Bull. Ac. Belg. 

 (2), xxix., 1870, p. 125. 



Description. — "Teeth acute, compressed. Snout depressed at 

 the end, measuring the distance from the anterior border of the 

 orbit to the ear ; canthus rostralis obtuse. Nostril suboval, 

 twice nearer the tip of the snout than the orbit. Digits 

 long. Tail compressed, keeled above. Scales of head small, 

 larger than those on the temples ; supraocular scales equal, very 

 small, granular. Scales on upper surfaces small, oval, tectiform. 

 Abdominal scales feebly keeled, in one hundred and twenty to 

 one hundred and thirty transverse series. Caudal scales keeled ; 

 the caudal keel with a very low, doubly-toothed crest. Colour. — 

 Upper surfaces black, with yellow punctulations arranged in 

 transverse bands on the back and lunate bands on the neck ; 

 limbs with large spots or annuli ; lower surfaces yellow or 

 greenish, with transverse black bands ; tail alternately black and 

 yellow in its posterior half. 



