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Show 1900.] FAUNA OF THE WHITE NILE. 967 IV. BEPTILES. Family PELOMEDUSID^E. S'TERNOTHiERUS ADANSONI (Schweigg.). This Water-Tortoise was found on the White Nile from Abu Zeit southwards, and on the Zeraf and Ghazal rivers. The British Museum contains a specimen collected by Consul Petherick on the Upper Nile. Family TRIONYCHIDAE. CYCLANORBIS SENEGALENSIS (D. & B.). Eemains of this Turtle were found lying on the banks of the White Nile as far north as Eenk, and on the Bahr-el-Zeraf. Family CROCODILIDTE. CROCODILUS NILOTICUS Laur. Crocodiles were noted on 30 days out of the 47 we were south of Khartoum. W e first saw them about 20 miles to the north of El Duem, but they did not become numerous till south of Abu Zeit ford. From Jebel Ain onward to about Fashoda, Crocodiles were seldom out of sight, often in large numbers : for instance on 17th March I counted 21 individuals lying at one spot on the tail of an island, and on 18th April 22 basking on one sandbank. On the Bahr-el-Zeraf small Crocodiles were numerous, I caught one alive. W e also saw some Crocodiles on the Lake No end of the White Nile, on the Bahr-el-Jebel, Bahr-el-Ghazal, Bahr-el- Homar, and Lake Ambadi; they were probably as numerous on these rivers as on the White Nile, but the thick masses of reeds prevented one seeing them, and on the Bahr-el-Jebel the Crocodiles were, curiously, very shy and we could not get within shooting distance of them. Most of the Crocodiles seen were under 12 feet in length, but some must have approached 15 feet; the largest specimen I actually measured, killed by natives near Fashoda, was 14 feet long. The only really large ones we saw were on the Bahr-el- Jebel, between Heliat Nuer and Shambe ; on the 7th April I saw two or three that I estimated to be perhaps 20 feet in length. Family GECKONIDAE. HEMIDACTYLUS BROOKII Gray. Four Geckoes of this species were caught at Gabt-el-Meghahid in April. Family VARANID^;. VARANUS NILOTICUS (Linn.). This large Lizard was met with on the Zeraf and Jebel rivers. A specimen from the Zeraf measured in total length 5 feet |