CORDYL.U S -' GJGANT EUS (young)
(Reptilia, Bale36)'
CORDYLDS GIGANTEUS.
gular, flat and imbricate ; those of breast and belly are of the same form and
similarly disposed, but are more recumbent. Preanal space with a number
of scales, three of which are very large and placed in the centre of the
smaller ones, two in one row and the third in front of them. Femoral pores
in ons row ten or eleven in number, and each with an obtuse spongy point.
Claws short, slightly curved and pointed. The commencement of the neck
above and the sides of the body immediately in front of the hinder legs
without spines. Length from nose to base of tail, 8 inches : of tail, 7 inches.
Young.—P la te XXXYI.
1 Colour.—1The upper part of the head posterior to the eyes, and the back
and sides of the body intermediate between umber and liver-brown. The
colour of the back and sides broken, however, by four or five narrow irregular
bars of cream-yellow, the anterior part of the head light yellowish
brown clouded with liver-brown ; the temples liver-brown, irregularly spotted
with greenish-white; tail above towards base deep umber brown, barred
with cream yellow, below cream yellow and towards tip both above and below,
pale orange red. Extremities barred alternately, cream yellow and liver-
brown. ;
F orm.—Figure rather slender, and aspect not disagreeable from the scales
not being developed and surmounted with the strong rugged spines which
exist in the adult; the form of the scales and the peculiarities they exhibit
on different parts of the adult are also exhibited on the young, so that in
knowing the characters of the former there is no difficulty in recognising the
latter.
Inhabits the interior districts of Southern Africa, and is not unfrequently seen on the rocky
pinnacles of the Quathlamba mountains, which separate the country of the south-east coast,
from that of the intenor. Another large lizard of this genus is said to exist among and on the
mountains of Great Namaqualand; but when specimens of this shall be obtained it will
probably prove to be of the species here described.