898 
G. J. DE FEJÉRVÁRY 
Median height of spinal canal behind: 8*97 
Before proceeding to the description of the caudal vertebrae a fact 
of historical importance must here be noted. It has already been mentioned 
at the beginning of this paper that in his treatise Bolkay describes a dorsal 
vertebra of Varanus marathonensis, of which he gives a drawing in the 
2 d textfigure of his note. On this drawing, which shows the front view of 
the so-called « Varanus vertebra», the fragment is placed in such a manner 
as hardly enables us to immediately decide that in reality n o Yaranian 
dorsal vertebra can here be concerned, the only dubious character appearing 
in the very obliquely inclined facies costales, which in Varanus take a more 
vertical direction. In other details the drawing seems to convey a correct 
idea of the description, all the more so as the striking feature, which resides 
in the bony crest of the proc. spinosus, — beginning with Ophisaurus directly 
on the front edge of the arcus vertebrae and gradually augmenting in height, 
whilst quite insignificant in Varanus, rising vertically and without transi¬ 
tion forming the proc. spin., — is not sufficiently apparent to allow any 
minute examination in this matter. 
Thanks to the kindness of the Hungarian Geological Institute the 
original fragments described by Bolkay, were given me for examination, 
of which opportunity I availed myself for stating facts to the subject. I shall 
here merely note that the vertebra described by Bolkay most certainly 
belongs to f Ophisaurus pannonicus (Korm.), in the synonymy of which 
« Varanus deserticola partim Bolkay» will have to occupy its due place. 
Since the above mentioned vertebra is comparatively well preserved, — the 
proc. spinosus excepted, — all the parts in question, on the upper arch for 
example, could bë minutely examined. The vertebra is of short and broad 
structure, resembling rather those of Rana or Bufo, being for this reason 
already of absolutely different type than in Varanus , so that, con¬ 
sidering the tolerably good condition of the vertebra, such a mistake as Bol- 
kay’s could hardly be expected of a specialist in Herpetology. In the Hun¬ 
garian text of his paper Bolkay mentions as a characteristic of Varanus the 
fact of the proc. obi. being strongly projecting upwards, his argument is 
however nowise conclusive, this particularity existing with certain variations 
corresponding to the different regions of the vertebral column, in most hetero¬ 
geneous forms, such as Ophisaurus, Trachysaurus , Lacerta, Amphibolurus, 1 
Zonurus &c. This Ophisaurian vertebra is however decidedly interesting, 
inasmuch as, originating from Beremend, it represents a new habitat 
1 Siebenrock: Dis Skelet a. Agamidæ, Sitzungsber, d. kais. Akad. d. Wiss. 
in Wien, Math. Naturw. Cl., Bd. CIY, Abth. I, 1895, Taf. Ill, Fig. 22. 
