CHAPTEE IV 



THE SLOW-WORM, ANGUIS FRAGILIS 



INTRODUCTORY DISTRIBUTION HAUNTS HABITS 



COLOUR FOOD REPRODUCTION SPECIFIC CHAR- 

 ACTERS. 



Having taken a brief survey of the lizards as a 

 whole, and of the structure of a typical lizard, we 

 are in a position to consider in detail the several 

 British species. It is doubtless true that to many 

 people lizards are only one degree less repulsive than 

 snakes, in spite of the fact that lizards are absolutely 

 innocuous reptiles. But it is equally certain that they 

 have an ever-increasing number of friends, who have 

 found out what delightful and interesting pets they are 

 in vivaria. It is a sad reflection, however, — notwith- 

 standing the vast increase in the number of books 

 on natural history, and therefore, presumably, in the 

 spread of knowledge about animals, — that they are 

 still remorselessly slaughtered by the majority of 

 those who encounter them. More particularly is this 

 the case of the slow-worm or blind-worm, concerning 



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