64 BRITISH LIZARDS 



nature, and in no case could that difficulty be much 

 greater than in the sand lizard, except perhaps in fish. 

 The sand lizard simply refuses to allow itself to be 

 studied out of doors, at anyrate at close quarters. So 

 that we are forced to gain our impressions from their 

 behaviour in vivaria, where the conditions of existence 

 are made as natural as possible. It is well that this 

 should be frankly stated, because the impressions thus 

 gained may not be perfectly accurate if appHed to 

 the wild reptile. Even then the difficulty is not 

 ended, for various observers have recorded the most 

 diverse opinions of the disposition of the sand lizard. 

 Assuming that all these recorders were truthful, which 

 doubtless they were, the conclusion to be arrived at is 

 that the disposition in this lizard is a greatly varying 

 one. Some are snappish, others docile ; some refuse 

 to feed, others feed readily ; some inoffensive, others 

 pugnacious ; and so on. Miss Hopley had a male 

 Z. agilis which "at once displayed an aggressive 

 viciousness of temper that would be deplorable were it 

 not ridiculous. He not only turned to bite whenever 

 approached, but held on to the finger so persistently 

 as to be carried about the house on exhibition thus 

 pendent. His feeble little jaws could, of course, in- 

 flict no injury ; therefore, his spiteful efforts to grip 

 the harder whenever touched, as he thus hung, were 

 simply laughable, reminding one of the fly on the 

 bull's horn, only lacking the fly's polite apologies. If 

 he happened to grip a fleshy part of the hand, you 



