122 W. T. Blanford—Notes on a collection of Reptiles [No. 3, 
the species found in Kachh with V. dracena (P. A. S. B., 1872, p. 73,) 
and I similarly referred a Baluchistan specimen to the same species. 
Lastly Theobald, in his “ Deseriptive Oataloque of the Reptiles of Bri- 
tish India,” 1876, p. 38, does little more than copy Giinther’s characters, 
but gives the additional localities subsequently recorded. In his Synopsis, 
at the end of the volume, he distinguishes V. dracena as having the body 
black dotted, and V. lwnatus as having the same yellow dotted; a distine- 
tion, I may at once add, with which I am unable to coincide. 
So far as I know, no other specimen having the peculiar colouration 
exhibited by the type of V. lunatus has been observed. The colouration, 
of the neck especially, is peculiar and is shewn in Giinther’s plate. All 
who have endeavoured to discriminate the species in India have, I think, 
depended on the number of rows of ventral scales, specimens with less than 
about 95 rows (or to speak more correctly about 70 to 75 rows on the 
abdomen, and 20 to 25 scales less regularly arranged on the breast) have 
been referred to V. dracena ; those with 100 or more to V. lunatus. 
Stoliczka, however, referred Kachh specimens with 90 to 100 rows to V. 
dracena, and I myself, after comparing a specimen from Baluchistan hav- 
ing 107 rows with the series in the British Museum, came to the conclu- 
sion that it must be classed with the same species. At the same time 
I expressed a doubt whether V. /wnatus was more thana variety of 
V. dracena. 
On the other hand there is considerable reason for believing that the 
common Varanus dracena of Bengal and Assam is a water lizard, inhabit- 
ing marshy places and entering the water freely like V. flavescens. ‘The 
monitors of the North-West Provinces of India, of parts of Southern and 
Western India are purely terrestrial, as has been noted by several observers. 
Many of these terrestrial lizards have been classed by various writersas V. 
dracena, andthe question arises whether two species have not been con- 
founded under this name. A second question is, whether the terrestrial 
lizard is not V. dunatus. 
In the hope of determining this point, I examined all the Indian 
Museum specimens, which Dr. Anderson kindly placed at my disposal. 
The result is far from decisive, but it does appear probable that two well 
marked forms exist, the one inhabiting Bengal and Assam, the other rang- 
ing through the greater portion of the Indian Peninsula. The number of 
ventral scales is not sufficiently characteristic to serve as a distinction, 
although the form from the North West Provinces and Western India has 
decidedly smaller scales, both above and below, than the Eastern race. In- 
deed I have sought in vain for any well-marked character to distinguish 
these two, So faras Ican see, the adults are easily discriminated by 
