Dr. Neill on Phrynosoma Harlani. 99 



they then still enjoy all the properties of these spheres, so that 

 after their incorporation they continue for a certain time to mul- 

 tiply by subdivision, as we shall show in a future memoir. 



XVII. — Notes on Phrynosoma Harlani, Wieg, 

 By Dr. Patrick Neill. 

 Dear Sir, 

 In the autumn of 1844 I was presented with a beautiful speci- 

 men of the Phrynosoma Harlani by a gentleman who had brought 

 it direct from Texas. After keeping it a week or two the creature 

 was sent to my friend Dr. Neill, and the inclosed letters relating 

 to its habits appear to me of sufficient interest to warrant their 

 publication. 

 J I am, dear Sir, yours very truly, 



Richard Taylor ^ Esq. George Johnston. 



My dear Sir, CanonmiUs, Dec. 28, 1844. 



The curious Texas Lizard, after six weeks^ residence in my hot- 

 house, is still alive, and taking a fly when we can tempt him with 

 a living one. 



On procuring Dumeril and Bibron from my friend Mr. Wilson, 

 I found a full and accurate description of the animal, Phryno- 

 soma Harlani of Wiegmann, Agama cornuta of Harlan, and ap- 

 parently Lacerta orbicularis of Linnaeus. The coloured figure in 

 Griffith's ' Regne AnimaP seems to have been taken from a mu- 

 seum specimen, for the bright colours are deficient : what is pale 

 brown in Griffith's figure, is in the living subject, when lively 

 and in a temperature of 65° or 70° F., golden yellow. The de- 

 scription of the colours is, to some extent, liable to the same ex- 

 ception. 



Fortunately flies are found in our steam-engine room all the 

 winter, and I carry home two or three in a small box every Satur- 

 day. Phrynosoma is rather cunning or suspicious; for we have been 

 unable to see him catch at a fly, so as to know whether he throws out 

 the tongue as the chameleon used to do. The gardener has watched 

 ten minutes in vain ; yet if he leaves a disabled fly with him for 

 five minutes, the fly has disappeared on his return. He can climb 

 the perpendicular smooth wooden wall of a box in which we keep 

 him and can adhere to the wall. He can leap somewhat like a 

 frog, or rather like a toad — clumsily and to a small distance only 

 — not twice the length of his own body. Miss Neill thinks she 

 heard him utter a kind of squeaking croak, but neither the gar- 



