26 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE HABITS OF THE LARGE CENTRAL 



Australian monitor (varanus giganteus) f with a note 



ON THE "FAT BODIES" OF THIS SPECIES. 



By E. C. Stirling, M.D., Sc.D., F.R.S. 

 [Read June 13, 1912.] 

 Plate IV. 



As the opportunity of observing, at close quarters, the 

 large Central Australian Monitor lizard, Varanus giganteus 

 — and for that matter the same may be said of many other of 

 our native fauna — does not often occur, I have thought that a 

 few notes respecting some of their habits may not be without 

 interest to members of the Society. 



By the kindness of Mr. G. K. 'Grant Warren, of Bal- 

 ariung, William Creek, the National Museum received on 

 February 9 of this year two living specimens of this species, 

 both males, as was subsequently ascertained by dissection. 

 Unfortunately by the misapplication of terms which is so com- 

 mon in Australia, the name "goanna" is commonly applied to 

 this, as well as to some other species of Australian Varanidse, 

 the word being generally understood to be a corruption of 

 iguana, which properly belongs to quite a different group of 

 lizards that is unrepresented in Australia. The origin of the 

 name Monitor, which constitutes the vernacular designation 

 of the Varanidae, is peculiar. The native name of the 

 Egyptian representative of this group is "ouaran," which is 

 the Arabic term for lizards in general ; this word written as 

 "waran" has been confused with the German "Warnen," to 

 warn, hence these reptiles have been called Warn-eidechsen, or 

 warning lizards, and it is this erroneously derived idea of 

 warning, or admonition, which has found expression in the 

 Latin term Monitor. 0) 



The particular species, Varanus giganteus, is known 

 locally in regions adjacent to Lake Eyre as "Perentie," or by 

 its variants "Perinthie," or "Parenthie," which words I 

 believe have originated from a native name, though I am 

 not aware of the tribe to which it belongs. Further north, 

 in the MacDonnell Ranges, it is called Echunpa, in the 

 Arunta language, and it gives its names to one of the most 

 important totem divisions of that tribe. 



For some time we have been anxious to prepare for the 

 Museum collection some properly-mounted specimens of this 

 reptile, and, with that view, we were glad to have the oppor- 

 tunity of keeping them under observation so that we might 



(i) -'Royal Natural History," R. Lydekker, Section ix., p. 150. 



