336 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



Sub-order II. . PACHTGLOSS^:. (Gr. Tla^vr, thick; y'/Maoa, the tongue.) 



Tribe III Zs'YCTISAURA. (Or. Nt-, night; eraupa, a Lizard.) 



Family XXII. Geckotidao. (Geckos.) 



GECKO. 



Verus (Lat. true), the Gecko. 



The GECKOS are nocturnal lizards, remaining hidden in 

 crevices during the day, but wandering forth at night in search 

 of their insect prey. They run about on the smooth walls and 

 ceilings with the greatest ease, as their feet are furnished with 

 an apparatus exactly resembling a boy's sucker, by means of 

 which they are able to adhere to the wall or even to the roof. 

 They labour in their country under precisely the same imputa- 

 tions that the toad does in England, namely, of being venomous 

 creatures, producing horrible diseases when touched, together 

 with many similar tales. Geckos are spread over every quarter 

 of the globe, but are most numerous in Southern Asia. The 

 species represented is common in India. 



