346

Hobart Town

1835 February.

Lizard (1358) Scales on centre of back, light greenish brown, edged on sides with black; scales on upper sides of body greyer & with less black; on lower sides reddish: belly yellow with numerous narrow irregularly waving transverse lines of black.— these lines are formed by the lower margin of some of the scales being black: Head above grey, beneath whitish. Motion of the body when crawling like a Snake.— not very active: in stomach beetles & Larvæ: common in open wood:

Lizard 1359 Two longitudinal black bands, marked with chain of yellowish white spots; upper parts of sides irregularly black with do marks: belly whitish. tail simply brown.— soles of feet pale-coloured.—

Lizard 1366 Above pale brown, with very numerous little transverse undulating irregular black narrow bands: sides richer brown,— tail same as body but paler: soles of feet black

Lizard 1361 Whole upper surface dark blackish brown, each scale with 4-6 most minute longitudinal streak.— (The black color far preponderant) Belly reddish: throat white: soles of feet black:—

347

Hobart Town

1835

Lizard 1362 Same genus as (1358).— Color — slightly dark "Wood Brown" with central longitudinal band crossed by about 5 broard very irregular bands of "Umber Br": tail with do & generally darker.— Beneath paler with most obscure undulating black lines: top of head reddish Br: Iris orange, pupil black:—

Animal so torpid & sluggish a man may almost tread on it, before it will move.— I lay down close to one & touching its eye with a stick it would move its nictitating membrane & each time turn its head a little further; at last turned its whole body, when upon a blow on its tail ran away at a slow awkward pace like a thick snake, & endeavouring to hide itself in a hole in the rocks.— Appears quite inoffensive & has no idea of biting: held by the tail, collapses its front legs close to body & posteriorly.— Stomach capacious, full of pieces of a white Mushroom & few large inactive Beetles such as Curculios & Heteromerous: Hence partly Herbivorous!— not uncommon on sunny grassy hills:— Tongue colored fine dark blue.—

348

Hobart Town

1835

Snake 1363 Above colored "Hair Brown with much Liver Br".— beneath mottled Grey.— The abdomen being burst in catching the animal: a small snake appeared from the disrupted egg: Hence Ovoviparous: Is not this curious in Coluber?—

Lizard 1364 Along the back a space ash coloured, which contracts over the loins; in centre of this, chain of transverse marks connected together of the richest brown: Within these marks, white spots & central pale brown line down whole back:— sides mottled with all the above colours: Belly ash, with few minute longitudinal dark streaks: Head with transverse ones of the dark brown: common: I believe also at Sydney.—