Dr. J. E. Gray on the Claspers of Male Lizards. 285 



India in the British Museum, they are formed of two similar 

 parts placed side by side, and united into one body, and pro- 

 vided with two terminal horny processes, which are of different 

 shape in the two species. In both species they are large, sub- 

 cylindrical, truncated at the end, and the flat termination is 

 divided into several acute conical lobes. In the one from 

 Bombay they are bent down on the body of the clasper, and 

 in V. heraldicus they are much shorter and erect. 



In a specimen in the Museum, also called Varanus heral- 

 dicus^ which Dr. Giinther showed to me, the clasper is sub- 

 cylindrical, and terminates in only a single horny process 

 divided and lobed at the end. I am not certain whether this 

 is an individual malformation or a peculiarity of a distinct 

 species ; but I leave this for future research. 



I have thought it well to figure (after they have been soaked 

 in warm water to recover their natural appearance and size) 



Fig. 1. Clasper from Bombay, nat. size. 



Fig. 2. Clasper of Varanus heraldicus^ uat. size. 



the clasper of Varanus heraldicus and also that of the animal 

 sold in the bazars of Bombay, I suspect as an aphrodisiac, of 

 which the orientals are so fond. 



Mr. Ford also informed me that he Avas once making a 

 drawing of a chameleon at the Cape, for Sir Andrew Smith, 

 when another specimen, which happened to be a female, was 

 brought into the room ; and the one that was sitting for his 

 portrait, from being quite placid and slow, as is the manner of 

 chameleons, suddenly (before he could have seen the female, 

 but must have discovered her by scent) became excited, 

 exceedingly rapid in his motions, rushing in search of the 



