31 



indicate that the species may have a more extended range than 

 is indicated by its Central Australian distribution. 



Size. — In this respect, as might be anticipated of such 

 relatively large lizards, one hears most exaggerated statements. 

 The late Mr. John Bagot, however, assured me that he had 

 seen specimens 7 ft. 6 in. in length, and I have it from Mr. 

 Gillen that one killed by himself measured 7 ft. 2 in. The total 

 length of the largest of the few stuffed specimens recorded in 

 the British Museum Catalogue of Lizards (1885) < 4 ) is given 

 as 206 cm., or 6 ft. 9 in., but it is not stated whether this 

 measurement referred to the actual animal, to the skin, or to 

 the mounted specimen. A detailed statement of the dimen- 

 sions of our own specimens will appear directly, but in the 

 meantime it may be said that the total length of the larger 

 of the two was 5 ft. 10 J in., and of the smaller 5 ft. 4 J in., 

 and that their weights, at the close of what was practically 

 a starvation period of more than three months, during which 

 they manifestly lost bulk, were respectively 17 lb. and 9 ft). It 

 will thus be seen that though not differing greatly in length 

 there was a very marked difference in the weight of these two 

 specimens. Not long ago we received the skin of a specimen from 

 William Creek, the length of which, when mounted, is identical 

 with that of the larger of our two living specimens, but this 

 skin may have been somewhat stretched in its removal, which 

 is very liable to happen under the hands of an unskilled 

 operator, who was in this case an aboriginal. Relatively large 

 amongst other lizards as are these land reptiles, they are, never- 

 theless, the dwarfed descendants of much larger lacertilian 

 forms, for we have in the Museum a few vertebrae of an extinct 

 Monitor (Varanus priscus, Owen) obtained at the Warburton 

 River which, if the size may be reckoned by crocodilian com- 

 parisons, must have been 20 ft. in length, or possibly even 

 larger. 



Table showing dimensions of two specimens of Varanus 



giganteus : — 











Longest Speci- 

 men in British 







Male A. 



Male B. 



Mus. Cat. of 







cm. 



cm; 



Lizards (1885). 



Total length ... 





... 179-5 



163 



206 



Head (maxm.) 







... 13-6 



12 



14(5) 



Neck 







... 18 



15 



22 



Body 







... 47'8 



42'5 



53 



Tail 







... 100 



935 



117 



Fore limb 







... 25-2 



21 



27 



Hind limb 







... 321 



29 



35 



Weight, in lbs. 



(after 



100 







days' starvation period) 17 



9 



— " 



(4) This is the type specimen. 



<5) It is not stated whether this refers to the maximum length 

 of the head or to that taken in the median line, which falls short of 

 the former. In our own specimens the maximum length is given. 



