state, and has lost its epidermis, and as the
description itself, though long, refers chiefly to parts which do not
differ in the species of the genus, this species may prove not to be
different from it.

These authors, in giving the character of Grammatophora gaimardii and G.
decresii, appears to place great reliance on the one having tubular and
the other non-tubular femoral pores, which is a fact entirely dependent
on the state in which the animal might be at the time when it was put
into the spirits, as I have verified by comparing numerous specimens of
different reptiles furnished with these pores.

But in this genus the size of the pores is apparently of less importance
than in many others, for they appear to be quite invisible in some states
of the animal: thus out of many specimens of G. muricata brought by Mr.
Gould from Van Diemen's Land and Western Australia, eight specimens have
no visible pores; these specimens differ from the others in being of a
rather paler colour beneath. This state of the pores may entirely depend
on the manner in which they were preserved, for all these specimens had a
slit made into their abdomen to admit the spirits; while in all the
specimens in which this care had not been taken the pores are distinctly
seen, sometimes moderately sized, and at others tubularly produced.

60. MOLOCH, Gray.

Body depressed, covered with irregular, unequal, small, granular plates,
each furnished with a more or less prominent central spine, and with a
series of large, conical, convex, acute spines; head and limbs covered
with similar scales and spines; head small, with very large spines over
each of the eyebrows; tail with irregular rings of large acute spines;
femoral and subanal pores none; teeth small, subequal; toes 5.5, short,
covered above and below with keeled scales; claws long, acute.

The external appearance of this Lizard is the most ferocious of any that
I know, the horns of the head and the numerous spines on the body giving
it a most formidable aspect. The scales of the back are small and
unequal; they gradually increase in size as they approach the base of the
conical spines, which is surrounded with a ring of larger scales with
longer spines; the large spines are conical; rather compressed, spinulose
below, smooth and acute at the tip, and are usually furnished with a
sharp-toothed ridge on the front edge, and sometimes on both. These
spines only consist of a horny sheath, placed o