348 
G. J. DE FEJ ER VARY 
only conspicuous character to be found on the frequently published and 
well known maxilla of Palaeovaranus is that, whilst on the maxilla of Vara - 
nus griseus for instance, the processus praefrontalis is short and curved 
backwards (towards the cavity of the mouth), the same on the maxilla 
of ((Palaeovaranus» is strongly developed and calls to mind that of the Ameiva - 
or Lacerta-tjpes ; furthermore with Palaeovaranus the angle enclosed withiti 
the lamina horizontalis maxillae and the crista dentalis is pointed, approxi¬ 
mately 90°, whilst the same angle on the maxilla of V. griseUs Dàud. 
is considerably less marked and obtuse. These differences however appear 
only in comparison to V. griseus ; V. salvator Laub., F. varius Shaw, or 
F. niloticus L. in this respect absolutely agree with « Palaeovaranus » in 
the essential points, wherefore no generic importance can in this case be 
attributed to these characters. Neither should the totally insignificant 
characters, mentioned by De Stefano (op. ’eit. p. 411) as particularly 
relating to the genus « Palaeovaranus », be considered otherwise than at best 
as of a specific nature. In other respects I have therefore been yet 
less able to discover such characters as might in the slightest degree justify 
a generic distinction ; not even the argument usually put forward by those 
who with predilection establish new species, of an important digression 
separating the age of the genus Varanus from the Quercy remains, can 
here deserve consideration, as L apparant 1 judges the latter as originating 
from Oligocene strata, whilst De Stefano writes as follows about 
their age (op. cit. p. 887): «Io riterrei che il deposito debba estendersi a 
tutta l’epoca oligocenica e forse anche ai primi tempi del Miocene vero e 
proprio . . .» 2 . And considering that the under Miocene Varanus 
however to point out most categorically that the possibility of this eventuality is a mere 
supposition of mine, not supported by any concrete data. If taking this supposition 
for granted, it might be surmised that the prominent basi occipital processes 
strongly developed in « Protr achy saur us » of De Stefano, yet lacking in recent Monitors, 
were lost by the latters in the course of phyletic evolution. These ba sio c ci pi ta 1 
pro cesses were strongly developed in some ancentral La ce rtilians as for 
instance in the Mososaurid Tylosaurus dyspleor Cope (see Osborn, p. 70 in : A complete 
Mososaur. Skeleton &c., Mem. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. I, Part IV, New-York. 1903). 
1 Traité de Géol., 4 ème Édit., Paris, 1900, Géol. proprement dite, p. 1500 — 1501. 
2 It must be remarked that the Quercy phosphorites are held by many as partly 
being still from thé upper Eocene; Zittel, for instance speaks of (op. cit.) «ober- 
eocäne Phosphoriten». I myself shared in his opinion,and in alluding to the geological 
extension of the Tailless Batra chians (Anura) (Anoures Fossiles des couches 
Préglaciaires de Püspökfürdő en Hongrie, Földtani Közi., p. 141-169 & 193 — 199, Pl. 
I —III, Budapest, 1917) I inscribed the Quercy remains as from upperEocene strata. 
Broili (op. cit. p. 210) writes about «obereocänen bis miocänen Phosphoriten von 
Quercy» and I conform myself to t hi s supposition until fresh light be thrown bn 
