TJie Lizards indigenous to Victoria. 55 



Monitor gouidii, Schleg. Abbild., p. 78 ; Gray, Zool. Erebus 

 and Terror Kept., pi. iii. ; Peters and Doria, Ann. Mus. Genov., 

 xiii., 1878, pi. i., fig. 4 ; McCoy, Prodr. Zool. Vict., pi. 151. 



Vara7ws gouldii, A. Dum., Cat. Meth. Kept., p. 52. 



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

 the tip, long, the distance from its end to the anterior corner of 

 the eye equalling the distance from the latter point to the 

 anterior border of the ear ; canthus rostralis sharp. Nostril 

 round, nearer the tip of the snout than the orbit. Digits strong, 

 moderately elongate. Tail strongly compressed, keeled above. 

 Scales of head, including supraoculars, subequal, very small, not 

 larger than those on the temples. Scales of upper surface of 

 body and limbs small, oval, tectiform. Abdominal scales smooth, 

 in one hundred and twenty-live to one hundred and forty trans- 

 verse rows. Caudal scales keeled ; the caudal keel with a very 

 low doubly-toothed crest. Colour. — Brown above with more or less 

 distinct round yellow spots or ocelli on the back and limbs and 

 yellow annuli round the tail; temple with two yellow streaks, 

 separated by a black band ; these streaks extending more or less 

 distinctly along the sides of the neck ; lower surfaces yellowish, 

 uniform or with small blackish spots. Young with the markings 

 much accentuated. 



Habits. — "• Found only in the north-west part of the colony, 

 in the hot mallee-scrub country, where it is common, far away 

 from water, running swiftly about the herbage, and sheltering in 

 holes in the ground." Hisses loudly if disturbed. " When 

 irritated it inflates the skin of the body, swelling to a considerably 

 greater size than before, and then the wrinkles disappear." 



Distribution. — Victoria : Wimmera (McCoy), Rutherglen 

 (L. and F.). 



