5 54 LACERTAE 



CHAP. 



length, remain almost motionless between leaves or in cracks of 

 the ground, and they do not take any food. They grow, how- 

 ever, quickly, living upon the remains of the yolk which has 

 slipped into their body. Their first food consists of Aphides and 

 similar tiny insects. 



The Common Lizard prefers moist localities and is very hardy. 

 It extends northwards to Archangel, and in the Alps it ascends 

 to nearly 10,000 feet above the level of the sea. However, on 

 the approach of the cold season, in the month of October, it 

 withdraws into its winter quarters, frequently in company with 

 many of its own kind. 



L. agilis, the Sand-Lizard, has nearly tlie same wide range 

 as L. viviiKtra, except that it does not go so far north and does 

 not extend eastwards beyond Central Siberia. It is absent in 

 Ireland and Scotland, while in England it is restricted to the 

 southern half. 



The characters which distinguish the Sand-Lizard from Z. 

 vivipara are few, although the majority of the specimens of eitlier 

 kind are very distinct in their coloration, and L. agilis is strictly 

 oviparous, depositing its eggs in the ground, under leaves, in 

 heaps of weeds and similar places. The Sand-Lizard has usually 

 a single postnasal and two superposed anterior loreals, the three 

 shields forming a triangle. The temples are covered with flat 

 scales, two or three of which are enlarged and in contact with 

 the parietals, but there is no tympanic scale. 



The coloration is sul)ject to much variation, local as well as 

 individual. As a rule the Sand-Lizard gives the impression of 

 being striped longitudinally, the striation being caused by rows 

 of dark and white spots and patches along the sides of the back, 

 flanks, and tail. In the male a more or less pronounced green, 

 in the female brown and grey are the prevailing ground-colours. 

 A typically coloured male during the breeding season is grass- 

 green on the sides and suffused with green on the yellow under 

 parts ; the sides are dotted with Itlack, with whitish eye-spots. 

 The under parts are spotted witli black. The adult female is 

 brown or grey above, with large dark brown, white-centred spots, 

 which are arranged in three rows on each side. The under parts 

 are cream-coloured, with or without black specks. Tlie young 

 are grey-brown above with white, black-edged spots; the under 

 parts are whitisli. Total hmgth of the adult u}) to 8 inches. 



