441 



Geckonid^:. 



Nephrurus Icevis, De Vis. — [These strange lizards were- 

 met with throughout the central regions. We found them 

 under stones, fallen trees, etc. They are very sluggish in 

 their movements. The natives call them "Ilchigra," and 

 express great fear of them. On two or three occasions when 

 I took one amongst the natives they dispersed in all direc- 

 tions, with exclamations equivalent to the English "No good." 

 Their fear is founded on the belief that these lizards will 

 attach themselves to the penis, thus causing death.] 



Ceramodactylus damceus, Lucas and Frost. — [Not at all 

 plentiful, in fact it was only on rare occasions that these 

 lizards were seen. They were found mostly under stones; 

 one was taken from a decaying log. Only met with 

 on the Finke, between Crown Point and Running Waters.] 



Heteronota bynczi, Gray. — [Found fairly plentiful. 

 Seemed to vary much in colouration. Met with all along the 

 Finke, but most abundant on the Ellery Creek under bark, 

 stones, and fallen logs or debris.] 



Diplodactylus ciliaris, Boulgr. — [Not plentiful. Always 

 found under the bark of mulga-trees. When captured a very 

 sticky and nasty-smelling matter is exuded from the spines 

 on the upper-surface of the tail. Met with through the 

 MacDonnell Ranges and along the Hale River.] In this 

 connection it may be mentioned that Diplodactylus spinigerus, 

 Gray, also exudes sticky matter from the spines on the tail 

 when captured or irritated. 



Diplodactylus elderi, S. and Z. — The type of this 

 apparently rare lizard, which is in the South Australian 

 Museum collection, was collected by Mr. R. Helms on the 

 Elder Exploring Expedition^ at the Barrow Range, Western 

 Australia. As will be noticed by the figure^ 1 ) the tail is not a 

 normal one, but has been reproduced. Some years after the 

 publication of the description, the late Mr. R. T. Maurice 

 captured a specimen some distance inland from Fowler Bay 

 which also has a reproduced tail. In 1912 Mr. F. Scarfe 

 presented three of these lizards, which came from Hermanns- 

 burg, in the MacDonnell Ranges. They are not in a very 

 good state of preservation, but two of them have normal 

 tails. The one recently collected at Ellery Creek by Captain 

 White has also a complete tail, which enables me to give the 

 correct dimensions. The tail in all of the complete specimens 

 is not short and pyriform,^ 2 ) but attenuate, and four-fifths of 

 the length of the body. On its upper-surface it is coloured 



(1) Proc. Roy. Soc, S.A.. vol. xvi., pi. vi., fig. 1. 



(2) Ibid, p. 161. 



