358 
G. J. DB FEJ ÉRVÁR Y 
containing the description of dorsal sacral and caudal vertebræ and a very 
well preserved occipital, together with figures in natural size, the skull of a 
Chelonian — unluckily equally inscribed among these remains, — so far 
confuses the author as to lead him to completely depart from the Vara¬ 
no i d character, and by reason of the existing protuberances on the C h e 1 o- 
n j a n’s skull, seek analogy with the modem Australian Lizards, conclu¬ 
ding that Megalania could have borne some resemblance to Moloch horridus 
of nowadays. At the same occasion the author also alters his opinion 
formed on comparison with Varanidae and communicated at the end of his 
previous treatise (p. 1048) that Megalania (similarly to the Varanidae) must 
probably have been a pleurodont toothed, carnivorous animal, the unfor¬ 
tunate Chelonian skull leading him to the declaration that «the repti¬ 
lian Megalania, from present dental evidence, seems to have been phyto¬ 
phagous, .. .». After this the vertebræ being also compared with Moloch , he 
thus attempts to connect this extinct gigantic reptile with the family Aga- 
midae . In 1887 however Owen himself discovers his mistake 1 and establishes 
for the Chelonian remains the genus f Meiolonia Owen yet subsisting 
in modern system. 2 3 4 In 1888 Mr. A. Smith Woodward publishes his valuable' 
«Note on the Extinct lieft. Genera Megalania Owen and Meiolania Owenh in 
which he definitely clears the systematic position of the La certi lia n, 
Chelonian and Marsupial remains confused by Sir B. Owen under 
the name of Megalania. In 1888 Lydekker (Catal p. 284), owing to the fact 
of the Chelonian skull and «caudal sheath» attributed also to Megalania 
by Owen in his paper of 1887 having been defined as belonging to the Tes¬ 
tudinata, entirely departs from the Agamidae- theory, which in my opinion 
does not appear as absolutely unfounded, and synonymizes the genus Mega¬ 
lania mthVaranus , thus insciibing the 5 metres long uncommonly large- 
sized animal in his Catalogue under the name of Varanus priscus Owen. 
It is for this reason that Zittel 4 referring to Lydekker, also mentions 
Megalania as belonging to the genus Varanus, as well as Broili (op. cir«.. 
p. 211), who without giving any closer distinction or description, alludes 
to this important member of the Lacertilia simply as « Varanus (Megalania) 
priscus Owen». Likewise Nopcsa (op. cit. p. 47—48), who also classifies 
this.reptile with Varanus. 
As regards this question, after a close comparative-osteological 
investigation, I am obliged to confess to an entirely different point 
1 Phil. Trans., Voi. 177, p. 471-480, Pis. XXIX-XXX. 
2 family.: j - Miolanidae. - 
3 Ann, Mag. for Nat. Hist., VI th Ser., Vol. I, London, p. 85 — 89. 
4 Paläozool., Bd. Ill, München und Leipzig, 1887 — 90, p. 609. 
