LIZARDS, OR SAURIANS. 103 



The Sphargis, or Soft-shelled Sea Turtle, lives in the 

 Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea, and is 

 the largest of all the turtles; sometimes weighing two 

 thousand pounds! It is covered with a thick leather- 

 like skin instead of a hard shell. 



LIZARDS, OR SAURIANS. 



Lizards have a long body, long tail, no shell, and the 

 mouth is large and armed with teeth. Enormous liz- 

 ards, thirty feet long, live in the river Nile, and are 

 called Crocodiles. The Alligators, of the Southern 



Fig. 172. Alligator. 



States, are lizards which are five, ten, or fifteen feet 

 long, and which have a head shaped something like 

 that of a pickerel. They are numerous in the creeks 

 and sluggish streams, and devour all kinds of small 

 animals which come in their way. 



The Six-lined Lizard, of the Southern States, is only 

 nine or ten inches long, with six yellow lines along its 

 sides and back. It is harmless, runs rapidly, and feeds 

 upon insects. The Green Lizard, of the Southern 

 States, is a smaller species which is common abou 



