This genus is at once distinguished from the former, and indeed from the whole of the Scincidae, by the large hard scales that cover the back of the body and head; which are formed of distinct triangular long plates, rough on the outside, and covered with a membranaceous skin.  The body shields of the head pass gradually into the dorsal plates.  The teeth short, thick, and conical; the palate toothless.  The belly and lower surface of the tail are covered with large six-sided scales, like the other genera of the family.  The head is rather large, triangular.  The legs short, weak; the toes very short, covered only with as many scales as there are joints; the outer and innermost being about half as long as the three central toes, which are nearly of equal length; claws short, conical, channelled beneath.  The tail short, depressed.

5.  Trachysaurus rugosus (n.s.) T. squamis dorsi rugosis, caudae subspinosis; cauda brevissima.

The body nearly uniform, chestnut brown; the head depressed with the scales convex, and more nearly of an equal size than usual:  those round the eyes and mouth large; the three anterior scales on the edge of the lower jaw larger than those which cover the lower surface of the head, body, and tail, which are uniform, distinct, large, and membranaceous:  the scales of the back are nearly of equal size with those covering the commencement of the tail; they are furnished with a prominent midrib, and end in a point.  The legs very short, compressed, covered with nearly smooth, rather thin, scales.  The toes very short; claws rather thick, and short.  The tail about half the length of the body.

Head, three inches long. 
Body, seven inches. 
Tail, four inches.

Only one specimen of this exceedingly interesting animal was brought home by Captain King, but the spirits in which it had been preserved had unfortunately evaporated, so that it was considerably injured; there is, however, a specimen, apparently of the same animal, in the collection of the Linnean Society, which wants the end of its tail.

The above specimen was found at King George the Third’s Sound, and is preserved in the Museum.

6.  Agama muricata.  Daud. 
Lacerta muricata, Shaw, in White’s Journal of a Voyage to New South
Wales, 244. 
Lacerta Agama, var. ?  Shaw, Gen. Zool. iij. 211. 
Muricated Lizard, Shaw. 
Icon.  Shaw, Gen. Zool. t. 65, and White’s Journal t. 31. f. 2.

This lizard was first described in Mr. White’s Journal, by the late Dr. Shaw, who paid particular attention to that class of animals; but he was afterwards inclined to consider it as only a variety of the common Lacerta agama, or American Galeote, from which, however, it is quite distinct.

It appears to be a young specimen, since its length is only seven inches, whilst that described by Dr. Shaw was more than a foot in length; and some have been caught even of a much larger size.  The Doctor’s figure is remarkably good, but rather more spinous than the specimen under examination, which is probably another proof of its youth.  It was taken and preserved by Mr. James Hunter, R.N., who accompanied Captain King as surgeon during the Mermaid’s third voyage, and has been presented by him to the British Museum.