1869.] Descriptions of tivo neio species of Reptiles, 193 



easily depressed by force, so as to form little shallow hollows 

 instead ; but the narrow border, surrounding each of them, still re- 

 mains marked and unmistakable. Small shields of the breast and 

 throat hexagonal, also with a central convexity and narrow depressed 

 border. Shields- of under side of hind legs, pentagonal, in other 

 respects similar to the last. Shields of under side of fore legs the 

 same, but much smaller than the scutes of the under sides of- the 

 hind legs. 



Anterior frontal scales of head slightly keeled, transversely. Pos- 

 terior frontal scales larger, but not keeled. Vertical scales, — a small 

 circle of eight scales, with one in the middle of the circle, — in the centre 

 of the vertex. Superciliary scales small and granular. 



Scales in centre of chin long-shaped, but very small and granular, 

 and arranged in regular longitudinal series, anteriorly converging. 



There is a slight shallow, longitudinal groove in the centre of the 

 upper surface of the snout, — which mesial, supra-rostral groove, though 

 common to and peculiarly characteristic of all the Varani, is not 

 noticed at all by Griinther, in any of his descriptions, although it ap- 

 pears plainly enough in his plate showing an upper view of the heads 

 of V. draccena, V. lunatics and V. nebulosus. 



The nostrils, in the present species, form an elongated, curved, and 

 rather narrow slit, situated, on either side, about J of an inch in front 

 of the eyes, and a little over J an inch from the end of the snout ; or 

 much nearer to the eye, than to the end of the snout. 



The eyes are situated further forward, or nearer to the snout, than 

 in either V. lunatics, or V. drac&na. 



The ears are situated about f- of an inch behind the eye. 



Coloration and markings. — These are very peculiar, and the colours 

 very bright and beautiful, when the animal is alive, or only recently 

 dead ; but the bright colours fade away very much, after the skin is 

 stuffed and dried, — a change which gradually took place in the stuffed 

 skin of the present specimen, little remaining but the black markings, 

 the original yellow ground colour much faded, and some slight traces 

 of the formerly existing orange tints, which tout ensemble of conspicu- 

 ous hues, gave the animal quite a gaudy appearance, when it came 

 first into my possession, quite fresh, or, indeed, then still half alive. 



25 



