GECKONIDAE 507 



the Portuguese Platydactylus facetanus, which, having lost their 

 tails in the act of being caught, were kept in a box for six weeks 

 without food. On their arrival in England they had each 

 grown a new stump nearly half an inch long ! 



Fam. Geckonidae. Sub-Fam. 1. Geckoninae.- Vertebrae 

 amphicoelous ; parietal bones separate ; clavicles dilated and 

 perforated. Hereto belong the overwhelming majority of Geckos, 

 only a few of which can be mentioned. 



Teratoscincus scincus. This most peculiar creature, about six 

 inches in length, inhabits the steppes of Turkestan and neigh- 

 bouring desert-regions of Persia. It is a thorough desert-form. 

 The digits are devoid of adhesive lamellae, but are granular 

 inferior ly and strongly fringed laterally, an arrangement which is 

 rare among Geckos, practically restricted to it with Ptenopus and 

 Stenodactylus, which are likewise deserticolous. This is a beautiful 

 illustration of adaptation to the surroundings. A Gecko, instead 

 of climbing rocks and trees, has lost the climbing apparatus, or 

 has transformed parts of it for running upon loose sand. The body 

 is covered with imbricating, rather large and smooth scales. 

 The tail is round at the base, compressed in its posterior half, 

 covered below and on the sides with scales like those of the 

 body, but on the upper side with a series of large, transverse, 

 nail-like plates. By rubbing these plates upon each other, this 

 Gecko produces a shrill, cricket-like noise, sitting at night in 

 front of his house, perhaps in order to attract grasshoppers. The 

 noise is made by both sexes. 



Ptenopus, a Gecko of Damara Land, likewise adapted to desert- 

 life, produces a similar chirping noise by its throat. 



Phyllodactylus is a genus of world-wide distribution, occurring 

 in tropical America, Africa, Madagascar, and Australia, extending 

 to the Norfolk Islands and to Lord Howe's Island. One species, 

 Ph. europaeus, occurs on the islands in the Western Mediter- 

 ranean. The digits are furnished with transverse lamellae, the 

 greater number of which are broken up into small scales forming 

 three longitudinal series. The ends of the digits are dilated, 

 with two large plates inferiorly, separated by a longitudinal 

 groove into which the claw is retracted. The upper parts of the 

 body are covered with juxtaposed scales intermixed with larger 

 tubercles. The abdominal scales are small and imbricating. 

 The cylindrical, tapering tail is slightly prehensile, covered with 



