346 VARANID^. 



Hah. — Southern and Central India, Concan, DeccaD, Kutch, Sind, 

 Beloochistan, Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Bengal, Burmah, Nepaul, Penang 

 and Ceylon. Attains 3-4 feet, the tail being longer than the body. 



Varanus draceena, Linn.- Gunth. Rep. Brit. Ind., p. 65, pi. ix. fig. 

 B.B.B. ; Theob. Eep. Brit. Ind., p. 38; Miirr. Zool, Sjx., Sind, p. 256. 

 Varanus Bengalensis, D. et B. Erpet. gen. iii., p. 480. Varanus bibroni, 

 Bkjth, J. A. S. B. xi., p. 869. Ghorepore of the natives of the Decean j 

 Gooare, Hind. ; Goh, Sind. — The Common Indian Water Lizard. 



Toes of moderate length, armed with strong claws. Nostrils in an 

 oblique slit, midway between the nose and eye. Superciliary scales 

 small without a series of larger ones. Scales of the neck and back 

 without keels, only a little raised in the middle, those of the helly 

 smooth in 90 transverse series between the g-ular fold and the loin. 

 Colour brownish olive, black dotted, each dot occupies a scale. These 

 dots are more numerous on the throat. Young specimens marked with 

 numerous small white ocelli edged with darker. Lower parts with 

 irregular dark transverse bands. Nape of the neck with regular cross 

 bands. 



Attains to 4 feet, of which the tail is three-fi.fths. 



Hab. — Sind, Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Central and Southern India, 

 Bengal, Concan, Decean, Ceylon, Burmah and Nepaul; also Beloochistan, 

 Afghanistan. The Iguana of the Europeans. 



Dr. Kelaart {Prod. Faun. Ceyl.) says '^ that the natives are partial to 

 its flesh"; and adds: — "We have once tasted some excellent soup made 

 from a tender iguana, it tasted not unlike hare soup." Natives of the 

 Decean and Sind are also partial to its flesh, and esteem it a specific 

 for rheumatism. Its blood drunk fresh or applied to the loins is con- 

 sidered a cure for lumbago, and is also said to be a good aphrodisiac. 

 Of the skin native tambourines are made. 



Varanns lunatus, Gray, Lizards, p. 10 ; Gunth. Bep. Brit. Ind. 

 p. 66, pi. ix. fig. 6 ; Theoh. Eept. Brit. Ind. p. 38 ; Murray, Zool., Sfc, 

 Sind, p. 256. — The Banded Water Lizard. 



This species is very^imilar to F. draccena, from which it is distin- 

 guished by the following characters : — A larger number of ventral 

 shields, which are arranged in 105 cross series from the gular fold to the 

 loin ; neck, tail and trunk marked with cross bands, the first formed by 

 a dark streak from either eye meeting on the neck, the angle being 

 directed backwards on neck and forwards on the body ; four on neck 

 and eleven on the trunk ; sides and legs yellow dotted. 



jBTa^.— Sind, Punjab, N. W. Provinces (Futtehgur and Agra) Oudh, 

 Bengal and Kutch. 



Psainraosaurus, Fitz. 



Tail rounded and without a keel. Other characters as in Varanus. 



Psammosaurus scincus, Gray, Ann. Nat. Hist. i. 392; Murray, 

 ZocL, S,i\, Sind, p. 257. Varanus scincus, Merr. Tent. 59. Varanus 



