HORN EXPEDITION—REPTILIA. 
135 
Habits. —Ground form, enters holes in the ground when pursued. 
Locality. —Charlotte Waters. 
Distribution. —Over all Australia, and islands adjacent to the north coast. 
(3) Varanns pnnctahcs, Gray. 
Several specimens. Colour.- —^Upper surfaces : Head brown, body and limbs 
black, with transverse rows of light ocelli with black centres; the ocelli and spots 
over the sacrum and on the hind limbs rustier ; tail with light spots on proximal 
fourth, distal three-fourths uniformly jet-black. Under surfaces: Chin cream- 
coloured, nearly immaculate; throat and limbs with black i-eticulations; belly 
with irregular black spots ; groin rustier ; tail on proximal fifth scales irregularly 
cream or brown, distal four-fifths uniformly sooty-black. Pineal cornea small, 
inconspicuous. 
Habits. —Found amongst rocks. 
Locality. —Alice Springs. 
Distribution. —Distributed over North and West Australia from Endeavour 
River to Perth. It is common at Port Darwin and Port Essington. It was met 
with in the Elder Expedition on Fraser Range. A very closely-allied species, 
V. tiniorensis, Gray, extends over North Australia from Cape Yorke and Thursday 
and Murray Islands to Port Darwin and Timor (B.M.C.). 
(4) Varanus acanthurus, Blgr. 
Several specimens. Agrees entirely with description in B.M. Catalogue. 
On the palmar and plantar surfaces in both V. functatus and F! acanthi/rus, the 
scales present series of brown flattened discs. 
Habits. —Found under stones and logs, burrowing in suitalfle places. 
Locality. —Alice Springs. 
Distribution. —Distributed over North and West Australia according to 
B.M.C., the only precise locality mentioned being Nicol Bay. 
(5) Varanus gilleni, L. and F. (Plate VIII., Fig. 2). 
Description. —Snout slightly projecting, depressed at the end, measuring 
rather less than the distance from the anterior angle of the eye to the ear ; 
