_Aurium margine anteriore simplici; squamis corporis, in seriebus XXIV
dispositis._
“_Kèneux de la casuarina_, Cocteau, Tab. Synopt.” (_v._ Bibr. Hist. Nat.
des Rept. V. p. 749.)
_Cyclodus casuarinæ_, Bibr. l. c.
As I have not the work of the lamented Dr. Cocteau by me, I quote the
above reference from M. Bibron’s work, in which this species is fully
described. It differs from the other species of this curious genus in
many minute characters of the scaling of the head, but the most tangible
and obvious distinctive character consists in the number of series of
scales, which does not exceed twenty-four, all around the body, whilst
in the others, they amount to thirty-four or thirty-eight. It would
appear that it is liable to some considerable diversity in colour and
markings. That which M. Bibron describes, has “the head of a yellowish
grey, the whole of the upper part of the body olive grey, and the
inferior part whitish grey.” The specimen in the collection of the
Zoological Society has the whole upper part of a brownish grey, with
twelve black lines extending from the neck along the back and tail,
corresponding with the sutures of the longitudinal series of scales. The
under surface of the tail is marked by about thirty transverse,
interrupted, black bands. The following is the description given by Mr.
Darwin from his specimen when taken,—“Scales on the centre of the back
light greenish brown, edged on their sides with black; scales on the
sides of the body above greyer and with less black, below reddish: belly
yellow, with numerous narrow, irregular, waving, transverse lines of
black, which are formed by the lower margin of some of the scales being
black; head above grey, beneath whitish.” Mr. Darwin adds, that the
motion of the body, when crawling, resembles that of a snake. It is not
very active. Coleoptera and larvæ were found in its stomach. “It is
common in the open woods near Hobart Town in Van Diemen’s Land.”
_Reptiles. Plate 16._
[Illustration:
_Drawn from Nature on stone by B. Waterhouse Hawkins._
_C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
_1._ _Rana Delalandii._ │_Nat. Size._
_2._ _Rana Mascariensis._ │ „
_3. 3a._ _Limnocharis fuscus._ │ „
_4._ _Cystignathus Georgianus._│ „
CLASSIS—AMPHIBIA.
ORDO—ANOURA.
FAMILIA—RANIDÆ.
GENUS RANA.
RANA DELALANDII. _Bibr._