Varans.] 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



91 



readers are well acquainted with the terra stellio, 

 and that one, if not both, of the reptiles in question 

 is " Le Stellion des Anciens" is the opinion of 

 Isidore, GeofFroy, and naturalists generally. 



The upper figure is that of the Comraon Stellio, 

 the lower that of the Spine-footed Stellio. 



2169. — The Mubicated Lizakd 



(Grammatophora muricata). Agama muricata, 

 Daudin. 



The genus Agama, of Daudin and others, is in 

 the present day greatly subdivided : the group 

 indeed, according to Mr. Gray's arrangement, con- 

 stitutes a family per se, but not in the system of 

 M-AI. Dum6ril and Bibron. 



The agamas are in general short, thick-bodied 

 lizards, covered with a lax skin, capable of being 

 inflated with air at the will of the animals, and 

 covered with minute scales, often keeled, or spiny, 

 and some species are defended by a bristling panoply 

 of sharp spikes. Many are very toad-like, and, were 

 it not for the presence of a tail, might be mistaken 

 for that reptile on a first glance. In the restricted 

 genus Agama there are no thigh-pores ; in other 

 genera, however, these exist. They usually reside 

 among rocks, heaps of stones, and mouldering ruins, 

 concealing themselves in chinks and fissures, and 

 their dull and sombre colours tend to their eluding 

 notice ; such have the limbs short, and the toes 

 stout. Others, with a more slender contour, longer 

 limbs," and more flexible toes, are more or less 

 arboreal, and ascend trees with facility. The head 

 is generally short, broad, and flat, and the tail com- 

 paratively short. There are no palatal teeth : the 

 tongue is short and spongy. Many are capable of 

 changing the colours of the skin. 



The geographical distribution of the agamas is 

 very extensive ; they are found in Asia, Africa, 

 America, and Australia. j 



In the genus Grammatophora the scales of the ! 

 back are imbricated and carinated, here and there 

 beset with spines ; the tail is long and conical, and j 

 covered with scales disposed in a file-like manner ; i 

 the tympanic membrane is large ; femoral pores 

 exist. The general figure is more slender than in 

 most of the other genera, but still depressed, and 

 the form of the upper surface of the head is trian- 

 gular. The muricated lizard is a native of New 

 Holland, and was first described by the celebrated 

 John Hunter in the zoological part of White's 

 Voyage to New South Wales. In its habits it is 

 arboreal, living in the woods, and traversing the 

 tnmks and branches of trees in quest of insects and 

 their larvse ; it is quick and active in its movements, 

 and in some districts is very common. 



The length of this species, including the tail, 

 which is twice as long as the body, is twelve or four- 

 teen inches. The toes are long and well divided, 

 and furnished on the under surface with small 

 pointed scales. The general colour is brownish 

 grey marked with dusky bars, running on the body 

 in a longitudinal direction, but transversely on the 

 limbs and tail. The scales covering the upper parts 

 of the trunk, the sides, and the extremities, are 

 rhomboidal and carinated, or elevated into sharp- 

 pointed ridges forming numerous parallel rows of 

 spines, from the top of the back to the end of the 

 tail. The head is covered with scales similarly 

 carinated, forming upon the occiput a crest of weak 

 spines ; of the toes, the two middle by far exceed 

 the others. 



2170.— The Spixt Agama 



{Agama spinosa, Bibron). Agama aculeata, Cuvier. 



This species has been confounded with another, 

 the Agama aculeata of Seba, a much more slender 

 animal, but a native of the same country, viz., the 

 Cape of Good Hope; both are referable to the 

 Lacerta hispida of Linnaeus, 'Syst. Nat.,' 10th 

 edit. 



The true agama spinosa is a short squat lizard, 

 covered on the upper surface of the body with scales 

 having sharp elevated points, those of the under 

 parts being also carinated and sharp. The general 

 colour above varies from yellow to olive brown, 

 varied with markings of black. It is common in 

 South Africa. 



We may here observe that the genus Agama of 

 Dumeril and Bibron includes Trapelus of Cuvier, and j 

 consequently that singular species the Orbicular or J 

 Changeable Agama of Kgypt (A. mutabilis, Mer- | 

 rem ; Trapelus ^gyptus, Cuvier), and two allied j 

 species, besides several others. 



2171. — The Changeable Agama 



{Agama mutahilis, Merrem). Trapelus .lEgyptus, 

 Cuvier ; Trapelus mutabilis, Gray ; I'Agame vari- 

 able ou changeant, Isidore and Geoffroy ; Rept. 

 d'Keypte, I'Agame orbiculaire, Daudin. 



This species is very common in Egypt, Persia, 

 and the North of Africa ; it is also found in Nubia. 

 " It is on this species," says M. Bibron, "that Cuvier, 



has founded the genus Trapelus, which cannot be 

 preserved, because it has no character really of 

 importance to distinguish it from Agama ; not even 

 that on which Cuvier rested (viz., the smoothness 

 of the scales); for the scales of the back, though 

 they present less-developed spines than those of 

 most of the agamas, are not destitute of them, as 

 the author of the ' R6gne Animal' has stated." This 

 little lizard has obtained the title " orbicular" from 

 its habit of inflating its body, and assuming a putfed- 

 up, toad-like appearance ; and that of " changeable" 

 from its frequent change of colouring. It is, as M. 

 GeoiFroy observed, often of a deep blue clouded with 

 violet, having the tail ringed with black, and with 

 four or five regular transverse lines of reddish spots 

 on the back. At other times the blue is exchanged 

 for pale lilac, while the head and feet are tinged 

 with green, the little reddish spots on the back alone 

 remaining.. We have seen some of a pale olive, 

 with the throat blue and the under parts of a green 

 tint, some of a uniform ashy grey, others clouded 

 or spotted with brown. 



2172. — The Feilled Lizard 



{Chlamydosaums King'd). This extraordinary 

 lizard, a native of Australia, is at once to be known 

 by an expanse of skin supported by a crescent- 

 shaped cartilage on each side of the neck, forming 

 an expanded frill, capable of being folded up or 

 spread out ; the edge of this frill is serrated, and 

 the whole is covered with small keeled scales ; the 

 j head is short ; the tail long ; the feet well adapted 

 j for climbing. There are femoral pores. 



When fully grown this species measures nearly 

 three feet in total length ; it is arboreal in its habits, 

 and was first discovered by Mr. Allan Cunningham, 

 who accompanied Captain King's expedition as 

 botanical collector. He found the specimen, from 

 which the original description was taken, on the 

 branch of a tree in Careening Bay, at the bottom of 

 Port Nelson, and sent it to Sir E. Home, by whom 

 it was deposited in the Museum of the Royal College 

 of Surgeons. In his Journal, Mr. Cunningham thus 

 writes : — " I secured a lizard of extraordinary ap- 

 pearance, which had perched itself upon the stem 

 of a small decayed tree : it had a curious crenated 

 membrane, with a ruff or tippet round its neck, 

 covering its shoulders, and when expanded by means 

 of slender transverse cartilages it spreads five inches 

 on each side in the form of an open umbrella. Its 

 head was rather large, and its eyes, whilst living, 

 rather prominent ; its tongue, though bifid, was thick 

 and short, and appeared to be tubular." 



Several fine specimens of this lizard are in the 

 British Museum. 



Captain Grey (see his ' Travels in Australia,' vol. i. 

 p. 194) says, " As we were pursuing our route in the 

 afternoon we fell in with a specimen of the remark- 

 able frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus Kingii). It lives 

 principally in trees, though it can run very swiftly 

 along the ground. When not provoked or disturbed, 

 it moves quietly about with its frill lying back in 

 plaits upon the body ; but it is very irascible, and 

 directly it is frightened it elevates the frill or ruif 

 and makes for a tree, where, if overtaken, it throws 

 itself upon its stern, raising its head and chest as 

 high as it can upon the fore-legs : then doubling its 

 tail underneath the body, and displaying a very 

 formidable set of teeth from the concavity of its 

 large frill, it boldly faces an opponent, biting 

 fiercely whatever is presented to it, and even ven- 

 turing so far in its rage as to fairly make a charge 

 at its enemy. We repeatedly tried the courage of 

 this lizard, and it certainly fought bravely whenever 

 attacked. From the animal making so much use of 

 its frill as a covering and means of defence for its 

 body, this is most probably one of the uses to which 

 nature intended the appendage should be applied." 



The general colour of this species is yellowish 

 brown, variegated with black ; tongue and inside of 

 the mouth yellow. 



Family VARANID^ (VARANS). 



With the exception of the Crocodiles, the Varans 

 are the largest of the Saurian reptiles ; their figure 

 is elongated and graceful, their actions quick and 

 alert; some are terrestrial, but others, with the tail 

 compressed laterally, are aquatic, swimming with 

 the greatest celerity. 



In the terrestrial varans the tail is conical and 

 nearly rounded, and on land assists the animals in 

 their rapid serpentine movements, and in springing 

 upon their prey ; the head is elongated ; the muzzle 

 acute ; the eyes large and bright ; the auditory 

 orifices are very apparent, and seated near the 

 angle of the mouth ; the tongue is fleshy and very 

 extensible, being, when fully protruded, nearly 

 twice as long as the head ; it is deeply forked at the ; 

 tip like that of a snake. There are no palatal teeth | 

 nor femoral pores. 



The skin is covered with scales, not imbricated, 

 but placed side by side so as to form circi-lar rings ; 



I they are of an ova! form, convex, and surrounded 

 each by an annular row of small tubercles. There 

 is a fold between the neck and chest. The limbs 

 are powerful, the toes large and strong, and armed 

 with sharp claws. 



The usual places tenanted by the terrestrial varans 

 are deserts and rocky places ; the aquatic species 

 frequent the banks of rivers : in the latter the tail is 

 a most important instrument of progression in the 

 water: they lash it with great energy from side to 

 side, thus propelling themselves along with vast 

 rapidity. 



The food of these reptiles consists of the larger 

 kinds of insects, as locusts, &c., various kinds of 

 lizards, eggs, birds, and small mammalia, tortoises, 

 fishes, &c. M. Duraeril, on the authority of M. 

 Leschenault de Latour, confirms the accounts of 

 travellei-s, who assert that they often combine in 

 order to chase their prey ; he assurp us that they 

 unite in packs on the borders of rivers, and seize 

 such quadrupeds as approach unsuspectingly to 

 drink. He has seen them pursue a young deer 

 which was attempting to swim across a river, and 

 succeed in drowning it. He found on one occasion 

 the thigh bone of a sheep in the stomach of a spe- 

 cimen which he dissected. 



Of these animals none are European, and one 

 only (Heloderma horridum) a native of America ; 

 the others are natives of India and its islands, the 

 Philippines, the Moluccas, &c., and also of Aus- 

 tralia. 



Fig. 2173 exhibits — a, the Head of Varanus ne- 

 bulosus ; h, the Dorsal Scales of the same ; c, the 

 Dorsal Scales of Varanus Niloticus; d, the Dorsal 

 Scales of Varunus Picquotii. 



One species, the desert varan of Egypt, the 

 Ouran-el-hard of the Arabs (Varenarius), is most 

 probably the terrestrial crocodile of Herodotus, 

 which he describes as a species not more than three 

 cubits in length, and much like a lizard. 



Under the title Monitor, Cuvier comprehends the 

 Varans, and the Teguixins and Ameivas of America 

 (Teidae of Mr. Gray). It is best to drop the term 

 Monitor altogether. 



2174. — The White-thboated Varaj* 



( Varanus albogularis). Tupinambis gularis, Dau Jin r 

 Varanus ornatus, Merrem ; Tupinambis albogularis, . 

 Kuhl ; Polydaedalus albogularis, Wagler ; Monitor 

 albogularis. Gray. 



This varan is a native of South Africa, and, though 

 not strictly aquatic in its habits, often resorts to 

 water in quest of prey. 



We learn from Dr. Smith that during his expe- 

 dition he did not obtain any specimens south of 

 Latakoo ; but he says there is reason to believe that 

 it occasionally occurs within the limits of the Cape 

 colony ; and adds that it is in all probability the ani- 

 mal called das adder by the colonists, and which is • 

 I so much dreaded from a supposition that it is ex- 

 tremely venomous. " It is usually discovered in 

 rocky precipices, or on low stony hills, and when 

 surprised seeks concealment in the chinks of the 

 former, or in the irregular cavities of the latSer ; 

 and when any irregularities exist oh the surface •(■ ' 

 ; the stones or rocks, it clasps them so firmly with xif 

 toes that it becomes a task of no small difficulty to 

 dislodge it, even though it be easily reached. Under 

 ! such circumstances the strength of no one man is 

 able to withdraw a full-grown individual, and I 

 have seen two persons required to pull a specimen 

 out of a position it had attained, even with the as- 

 sistance of a rope fixed in front of its hinder legs. 

 The moment it was dislodged it flew with fury at 

 its enemies, who by flight only saved themselves 

 from being bitten. After it was killed, it was dis- 

 covered that the points of all the nails had been 

 previously broken, or at the moment it lost its hold. 

 It feeds upon crabs, frogs, and small quadrupeds, 

 and from its partiality to the two former it is often 

 found among rocks near running streams, which 

 fact, having been observed by the natives, has led 

 them to regard it as sacred, and not to be injured 

 without danger of drought." This species, when 

 adult, measures nearly five feet in length. Its co- 

 lours are mingled brown and yellow, with spots of 

 black. 



2175. — The Varax or the Nile 



{Varanus Niloticus). This species, one of the 

 aquatic tribe, is very common in the Nile, in the 

 Senegal, and the Galbar near Sierra Leone. It 

 would appear also to inhabit the rivers of Southern 

 Africa, if the species seen there by Sparrman and 

 Le Vaillant are the same. 



The present animal is often seen sculptured on 

 the monuments of the ancient Egyptians, though it 

 does not appear to be noticed by Herodotus, who 

 perhaps confounded this and the land varan toge- 

 ther. The inhabitants of Egypt assured Geoffroy 

 St. Hilaire that this ouaran was the first state of the 

 young crocodile, an assertion the more surprising as 

 they could not have been ignorant of the characters 



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