1842.] Asiatic Society. 865 



which although a matter of regret, yet he still fortunately possessed a few that were 

 supposed to he unique, and of great value. 



Read letter from J. H. Batten Esq. of 10th July last, forwarding continuation of 

 Major Manson's valuable Journal, with Lieutenant Weller's Notes, and promis- 

 ing by next opportunity, the Journal by Lieutenant Weller, of the country 

 beyond Oonta Dhoora, at the same time proposing Brevet Captain Boys, 6th 

 Cavalry, (with his consent,) as a member of the Society. 



Captain Boys was accordingly proposed in due form as a Member of the Asiatic 

 Society, and the Journal referred to by Mr. Batten made over to the Secretary 

 for publication in his Journal. 



Read letter from Reverend J. H. Pratt, of 11th August 1842, on the brass Astro- 

 labe from Herat, presented to the Society by Major E. Potting er, also made over 

 to the Secretary for the Journal. 



Read the following report from the Curator for the month of July, 1842 : — 



Sir, — The most interesting recent accessions to our collection of vertebrated animals 

 pertain to an important class, that of Reptiles, which hitherto I have been too much 

 otherwise occupied to investigate except casually. 



From Dr. Strong, we have been favored with a fine specimen, but just dead, of 



Chelonia midas ; the Edible or Green Turtle, which has been mounted. It may be 

 as well to remark, that this was not captured in the neighbouring Bay. 



Having intimated a wish, not long ago, to possess some of the so called " Iguanas" 

 that inhabit the tanks of the Botanic Garden, the Society has accordingly been kindly 

 favoured by Mr. DeCruz, of that establishment, with three fine specimens, which have 

 proved to be of as many different species. These it may be useful to Indian students 

 of Natural History to describe. 



1. Varanus Bengalensis, Dumeril and Bibron, in whose excellent ' Histoire des 

 Reptiles', III, 480, will be found its synonymes. Length of the specimen (a female) 

 forty-one inches, of which the tail measures twenty-four inches : head, to auditory 

 orifice, three inches ; to anterior margin of eye an inch and three-quarters ; and the 

 nostrils oblique, and situate half-way between the eye and tip of muzzle : entire 

 length of fore-limb to end of middle claw five inches and three-quarters, and of hind 

 limb, to end of claw of longest toe, seven inches and a half; the toes well developed, 

 and claws, especially the anterior, very large and strong.* The head is covered with 

 minute polygonal plates, nearly uniform in size, and the superorbital bone projects far 

 over the eye : the nape is studded with scales of a rounded oval form, very much 

 bulged, and each appearing like a nail set at the extremity of a digit ; on the back 

 this unguicular appearance is more strongly marked, the nail-like part being smaller, 



* A very fine and bulky male, since procured in the same quarter, measured fifty-five inches in 

 total length, of which the tail was thirty-one inches ; from muzzle to auditory orifice three inches 

 and a half ; and length of hind-limb, to tip of the claw of longest toe, nine inches and a quarter : 

 colouring exactly as in that above described. 



