Mr. Gray on new Reptiles from Australia. 89 



body giving it a most formidable aspect. The scales of the back are 

 small and unequal ; they gradually increase in size as they approach 

 the base of the conical spines, which is surrounded with a ring of 

 larger scales with longer spines : the large spines are conical ; rather 

 compressed, spinulose below, smooth and acute at the tip, and are 

 usually furnished with a sharp toothed ridge on the front edge, and 

 sometimes on the hinder one. These spines only consist of a horny 

 sheath placed on a fleshy process of the very same form and appear- 

 ance as the spines they bear. The scales of the under side of the 

 body are of the same form, and are furnished with similar but smaller 

 and less produced spines than those of the back. The back of the 

 neck of the only two specimens I have seen is furnished with a large 

 rounded protuberance like a cherry, covered with large granular spi- 

 nous scales, and armed on each side with a large conical spine ; but 

 I do not know if this is common to the species or merely accidental 

 in these individuals ; at any rate it adds considerably to the singu- 

 larity of their appearance. 



I "have named this genus, from its appearance, after " Moloch, hor- 

 rid king," 



Moloch horridus. Pale yellow, marked with dark brown regular 

 s])ots ; sides and beneath black-edged, dark red similar spots, 



Inhab. Western Australia. Captain George Grey, Mr. J. Gould. 



The marks on the body are very definite, but from the irregularity 

 of their form they are not easily described. The lljjs are dark brown, 

 with two streaks up to the small spines on the forehead ; there is a 

 dark cross-band from the base of the two large horns over the eye- 

 brows, running behind and then dividing into two broad streaks, one 

 along each side of the centre of the back of the neck to between the 

 shoulders, crossing the nuchal swelling. In the middle of the back 

 there is a very large black patch nearly extending from side to side, 

 and over the loins are two oblong longitudinal black spots ; the 

 dark lines commencing from the lower angle of each eye extend 

 to the legs, along the upper part of each side to the upper part of the 

 groin. On the front of the fore- and hind-legs and the sides are 

 marked similar dark bands. A dark band commences from the 

 hinder part of the lower lip, merging in the throat, and expanding 

 out so as to be united together at the back part of the chin. There 

 is a large, rather oblong spot in the centre of the chest and the 

 hinder part of the abdomen, separated from each by a large, some- 

 what triangular spot on each side of the middle of the abdomen ; 

 body 4^- inches. 



This is the Spinous Lizard exhibited by Mr. Gould at the meeting 

 of the Zoological Society, on the 25th day of August, 1840. 



Breviceps Gonldii. Smooth, with a few scattered low tubercles ; 

 gray-brown, yellowish beneath. 



Inhab. Western Australia. 



This animal has all the external appearance and character, as far 

 as they are given in MM, Dumeril and Bibron's work, of the Breviceps 

 gibbosus of the Cape of Good Hope, except that it has not the yel-: 



