CORDYLUS GIGANTEUS. 



gular, flat and imbricate ; those of breast and belly are of the same form and 

 similarly disposed, but are more recumbent. Preanal space with a num- 

 ber of scales, three of which are very large and placed in the centre of the 

 smaller ones, two in one row and the third in front of them. Femoral pores 

 in one row ten or eleven in number, and each with an obtuse spongy point. 

 Claws short, slightly curved and pointed. The commencement of the neck 

 above and the sides of the body immediately in front of the hinder legs 

 without spines. 



Length from nose to base of tail, 8 inches : of tail, 7 inches. 



Young. — Plate XXXVI. 



Colour.— The upper part of the head posterior to the eyes, and the back 

 and sides of the body intermediate between umber and liver-brown. The 

 colour of the back and sides broken, however, by four or five narrow irre- 

 gular bars of cream-yellow, the anterior part of the head light yellowish 

 brown clouded with liver-brown ; the temples liver-brown, irregularly spotted 

 with greenish-white ; tail above towards base deep umber brown, barred 

 with cream yellow, below cream yellow and towards tip both above and below, 

 pale orange red. Extremities barred alternately, cream yellow and liver- 

 brown. 



Form.— Figure rather slender, and aspect not disagreeable from the scales 

 not being developed and surmounted with the strong rugged spines which 

 exist in the adult ; the form of the scales and the peculiarities they exhibit 

 on different parts of the adult are also exhibited on the young, so that in 

 knowing the characters of the former there is no difficulty in recognising the 

 latter. 



Inhabits the interior districts of Southern Africa, and is not unfrequently seen on the rocky 

 pinnacles of the Quathlamba mountains, which separate the country of the south-east coast, 

 from that of the interior. Another large lizard of this genus is said to exist among and on the 

 mountains of Great Namaqualand ; but when specimens of this shall be obtained it will 

 probably prove to be of the species here described. 



