209 
in the Australian Museum, Sydney, ‘‘On the Occurrence of 
Megalania (Owen) (sensu stricto) in South Australia,” two 
vertebre are figured and described: Plate I., figs. 1, 2, 3, and 
Plate II., figs. 1, 2. The first is stated to be “a dorsal vertebra, 
probably from an immature individual, &c. It appears to corre- 
spond well with the dorsal vertebre figured by the late Sir R. 
Owen, F.R.S., in his first paper on Megalania.” This is un- 
doubtedly a true Varanus vertebra. 
Plate II. figs. 1-2. represent a vertebra which is described as 
“one of the lumbar series, very much larger than the dorsal.” 
This vertebra, however, does not helong to Megalania, but is a 
true Crocodilian vertebra, and evidently belongs to the same 
species of crocodile, of which three vertebre have have previously 
received by the S.A. Museum from Messrs. W. R. Cave & Co., 
jn 1888. 
These were obtained with the following fossils from the bed of 
the Warburton River, near Lake Eyre ; probably from the same 
locality where Mr. Brown obtained his specimens. Fragments of 
lower jaw of Nototherium, fragments of Diprotodon bones, frag- 
ments of Kangaroo bones, dorsal vertebra of Varanus (Megalania) 
priscus, tail vertebra, unguinal phalanx, phalanx, three vertebra, 
fragments of dermal scutae of Crocodile, fragments of carapace 
and plastron of two Chelonian species, Chelodina insculpta, De 
Vis, and Chelymys uberrima, De Vis, and Esau of skull of 
a Siluroid fish. 
All these bones are more or less a oe. and judging from 
their appearance and their fragmentary and often water-worn 
condition, seem to have been washed out of the sand and clay 
banks by floods, as already stated by Mr. Brown in his report of 
1894. 
The deposit, from which these fossils originate, was not found 
by him, although he travelled about 50 miles up the river. 
| Lydekker, in the Catalogue of Fossil Reptilia in the Britisa 
Museum, vol. I., page 284, points out the close relationship of 
‘Varanus (Megalania) priscus (Owen) to an extinct Indian 
species (Varanus sivalensis). This species, as well as V. priscus, 
compared with our recent forms, owns proportionally shorter and 
stouter-built vertebre than the latter. Owen says in his paper, 
“The chief peculiarity of the Australian fossil Lizard is its great 
size ; the vertebre rival in bulk those of the largest living 
crocodiles. Its estimated length was about 20 feet.” . 
The vertebre have already been figured, but not the phalanx, 
the unguinal phalanx (which measures over two inches in length), 
and which, as it appears to me, have not been found before. 
The unguinal phalanx agrees very well, excepting its enormous 
size, with the corresponding one of Varanus giganteus, the 
‘“‘Perentie,” which is stated to attain a total length of eight feet. 
