136 STORY OF THE REPTILES 



In Tuatera there are parts of this eye yet remaining 

 — but they are not now nseful. 



Reptiles are more intelligent than amphibians, 

 and have a certain form of cunning in obtaining prey 

 and effecting escape from enemies; but so far as any 

 great amount of intellect is concerned they do not 

 compare with birds and mammals. The wisdom of 

 serpents — so far-famed in the minds of Eastern peo- 

 ples — is used in the Bible as a figure, not because it 

 was such a striking fact, bnt because it was a famil- 

 iar method of expressing that sort of cunning which 

 is devoid of any good attribute. 



Skin 



Covering all these things that we have been notic- 

 ing is the Skin. We mention it here only in connec- 

 tion with the renewal of the outer part of it. No 

 creature changes its real skin any more than its other 

 tissues. In the lizards the transparent thin outer 

 membrane runs outside of the scales, and even out- 

 side of the eyes in the snakes. The former usually 

 shed this in strips ; but some limbless lizards and all 

 snakes, except the sea-snakes, shed it in one piece, 

 which is a fine image of the creature. In many snakes 

 and some lizards a series of small hairs seems to 

 arise and push the epidermis loose. In some horned 

 toads (the spiny lizards out West) there arises be- 

 neath the outer skin small watery pimples (pustules) 

 which push it loose till it breaks off in little pieces; 

 so that this homely creature has to have an attack 

 of chicken-pox every time it gets a new suit. 



