98 



ON NEW SPECIES OF AUSTRALIAN LIZARDS. 



colour of the back, speckled black, grey, and white, the black 

 and grey intermixed in about equal proportions, the white 

 occupying chiefly the larger scales. Tail, ringed with blackish 

 brown, more distinctly towards the end. On the nape a large 

 oblong patch of brownish red. The arms, breast, and thighs 

 more or less stained with the same : subaural fold white, edged 

 with black above and below. Hinder part of head with black 

 lines and spots assuming the form of ocellations on the sides of 

 the nape. 



Length, seven inches. Locality, Delta Station, Bogantungan. 

 Collected by Mr. C. W. de Burgh Birch. 



DIPOEOPHORA* 



Dr. Gray having but one example of the genus before him, 

 limited the number of preanal pores to one on each side. This 

 character appears to be of no more than specific value, if that, 

 since in four lizards not otherwise differing generically from 

 hilineata, the pores are from one to three on each side. I have 

 for many years been of opinion that the Diporophora of the 

 central and south coast district is not the one described by Gray 

 from Port Essington, and that conviction having lately become 

 stronger I propose to describe it as 



DIPOEOPHORA NUCHALIS. 



The length of the head is two fifths nearly of that of the 

 trunk : the fore limb and the distance between the limbs are 

 each three-fifths of the same : the hind limb is neai'ly equal to 

 the trunk in length : the tail 3| times as long, the snout is f, 

 and the interorbit ^ of the length of the head. The eye is in 

 the centre of the length of the head, the nostril in the centre of the 

 snout. The head slopes forward rapidly from the vertex, its scales 

 are larger than those of the back, and equal to those of the limbs. 

 There are no spines on the front of the ear. The back has a 

 central as well as lateral keels, but the latter are the stronger. 

 Preanal pores, 2 or 3 on each side. The colour varies from pale 

 brownish j'^ellow to brown, with from five to seven bar-like spots 

 more or less connected transversely on each side of the back, 

 the nuchal band almost constantly ends in a large dark spot on 

 the side of the neck. Top of the head generally reddish, sides 

 of the face and around the ear sometimes blackish or reddish 

 brown. 



The lizard is a bold sprightly creature delighting to watch 

 for prey in bare spots of ground in the full sunshine. At such 

 times it may be recognized by its attitude alone : squatting 



