KEPTILIA. 297 



over nearly the whole of South America, very common in Brasil; this 

 species becomes i h feet long, moves very rapidly, and keeps principally in 

 sandy regions. 



Tejus monitor MERB., Lacerta teguixin L., MAXIM. Abb. Lief. XL, Cuv. 

 R. Ani., ed. ill., Rept. PI. n, fig. i ; this species also is not uncommon in 

 Surinam and in a large part of Brasil ; it attains a length of three or four 

 feet; the tail is longer than the trunk; the back is black, with yellow 

 spots; the belly yellow, with interrupted black transverse stripes. This 

 animal, which is hunted in Brasil, and which is eaten, lives on insects, 

 worms, frogs, resides in holes under ground, and hides also in hollow trunks 

 of trees. 



Note. Here belong sub-genera Salvator DUM. and BIBR. (Podinema 

 and Ctenodon WAGL.), Ameiva Cuv., DUM. and BIBR., CnemidopJiorus 

 WAGL., and Dicrodon DUM. and BIBR. 



A crantus WAGL. (Tejus viridis MERR.) differs from all the others in 

 having the hind feet tetradactylous. 



Callopistes GRAVENHORST, FITZ., Aporomera DUM. and BIBR. 

 Tail conical, obtusely quadrangular. Head covered with small 

 scutella. Femoral pores none. 



Sp. Aporomera jlavipunctata DUM. Erpet. v. PI. 5 1 ; Aporomera ornata 

 DUM., Ameiva ccelestis D'ORBIGNY. 



Tribe III. Monitores. Tongue exsertile, elongate, narrow, 

 sheathed at the base, with two long, filiform, acuminate apices. 

 Head scaly, narrow, flat above. Palatine teeth none, maxillary 

 teeth adnate, large, triangular or conical, distant. Neck long, not 

 more slender than head. Femoral pores none. Feet pentadacty- 

 lous with nails curved, compressed. 



Varanus MERR., Monitor Cuv. Snout elongate, covered with 

 scales. Scales in back oval or oblong, gibbous, the larger sur- 

 rounded by a scaly areola. Tail sub trigonal, rounded beneath, 

 of the length of trunk or longer than trunk. 



The species of this genus, all from the old world, are, after the croco- 

 diles, the largest of lacertine animals ; some attain a length of more than 

 six feet. The tail in most of the species is compressed laterally and keeled 

 above. 



a) Tail subrotundate or compressed only towards the apex, not carinate 

 (Psammosaurus FITZ., WAGL.). 



Sp. Varanus arenarius DUM. and BIBR., Varanus scincus MERR., Descr. de 

 VEgypte, Rept. PI. 3, fig. 2, in Egypt ; the land-crocodile with HEROEOTUS, 

 oaaran of the Arabians, according to FORSKAL. 



