52 8 LACERTAE 



CHAl'. 



grey eye-like spots which ornament its back, and the orange and 

 purple stripes on its sides, are not conspicuous amidst the natural 

 surroundings, the former harmonising with the shadows cast upon 

 the sand hy the scanty vegetation which it sujjports, and the 

 latter being more or less concealed by the folds into which the 

 skin that covers the ribs naturally falls. When the male is 

 roughly handled and is unable to use its powerful jaws, it 

 flattens its body in such a way that the stripes become most 

 conspicuous. The female is unable to do this with such effect, 

 as her ril)S do not seem to be so mobile and her colours are less 

 bright. Liolepis lives in holes in the ground, which often go 

 down vertically for more than 2 feet before there is a bend in 

 their course. Each burrow generally contains a paii' of these 

 lizards, which, according to the natives, are strictly monogamous. 

 Fam. 2. Iguanidae. — Pleurodont lizards with a short and 

 thick, non-protractile tongue ; almost entirely American, with the 

 remarkable exception of two genera, Hoplurus and Chalarodon 

 in Madagascar, and one, Brachylojjhns, in the Fiji Islands. Most 

 of the Iguanidae are insectivorous, but some of the most striking 

 forms are herbivorous, e.g. Iguana, AmUyrh.yncJms, and Basiliscns. 

 In their general structure the Iguanidae closely resemble the 

 Agamidae, from which they differ chiefly by the pleurodont 

 dentition. The orbit is surrounded l:>y bone, and the temporal 

 fossa is bridged over by an arch which is formed by the junction 

 of the squamosal chiefly with the postorbital, the jugal taking 

 as a rule less share in the arch. Dermal ossifications are absent 

 on the body. 



There are about three liundred different species, which have 

 been grouped into al)Out fifty genera, representing arboreal, 

 terrestrial, burrowing, semi-acj[iiatic forms, and even one semi- 

 marine species. Their external appearance varies consequently 

 within wide limits. 



Anolis is distinguished by the partial dilatation on the middle 

 phalanges, which carry a series of transverse adhesive lamellae. 

 In its general shape Anolis resembles slenderly built and long- 

 tailed Lacertidae, which it may be said to represent in tropical 

 and sub-tropical America, inclusive of the "West Indian Islands. 

 The males have a large gular appendage, which can be distended 

 by the liyoid bones. Anolis is an expert climber, living in trees, 

 or rushinf about on fences or walls of houses in search of insects ; 



