36o NA TU RE-STUDY REVIEW 



Australia's Remarkable Lizard 



Dr. R. W. Shufeldt 

 Washington, D. C. 



There are a great many extraordinary lizards in the world's 

 fauna, and nearly every country is inhabited by one or two of 

 them. We here in the United States — at least those who have 

 any knowledge of the species — are of the opinion that few forms 

 in this group can vie with our own Heloderma, or with the Homed 

 Lizards, erroneously designated by many as "Homed Toads." 

 Should we journey to Australia, however, we would come across 

 lizards there that easily take the palm as being among the most 

 curio\is of any lacertilians known to naturalists. Without attempt- 

 ing to enumerate the various species of these — there are altogether 

 too many for that — attention is here invited to the far-famed 

 Moloch lizard of the family Molochwoe. 



A few months ago, Mr. Dudley Le Souef, Director of the Zoo- 

 logical Gardens of Melbourne, Australia, sent me an unusually 

 fine specimen of one of these curious animals, which are very 

 rarely seen in this country. Shortly after receiving this accept- 

 able gift, I made a life-size photograph of it, a reproduction of 

 which illustrates the present account. 



In Australia this lizard is called the York or Mountain Devil, 

 while science long ago placed it in the Agama family as Moloch 

 horrtdus, the specific name having been bestowed upon it on 

 account of its "repulsive" appearance. The animal is, however, 

 entirely harmless and inofiensive. These Molochs belong in 

 the fauna of Central and Western Australia; they rarely exceed 

 seven inches in length, the one at hand measuring a trifle over 

 six inches. It will be noted that the Moloch has a very small 

 head, with minute eyes and miouth. The bcdy is of a rich tan 

 color or even darker, with certain symmetrical dark brown areas, 

 em.arginated with white, on the bcdy and limbs. These characters 

 sink into insignificance, however, when we come to note the 

 remarkable array of spines of various sizes that cover all parts 

 of its bcdy— head, limbs, and tail. These spines resemble the 

 largest thorns of a rose-bush, only they are not curved. Re- 

 gardless of locality, they vary in size, and they are as sharply 

 pointed as the sharpest of needles. There is a curved one over 



