160 BRITISH LIZARDS 



II. Channel Province. 



HAMPSHIRE. 



The following paragraphs relating to the lizards are 

 from a paper on the " Eeptiles of Hampshire and the 

 Isle of Wight," by Kev. J. E. Kelsall {Proc. Hamp. 

 Field Club, Part m. vol. iii. 1898): — 



" The Slow-worm, or Blind- worm (Anguis fragilis). 



" Universally distributed, including the island. 



" This common reptile is well known to all country 

 people. Though resembling a snake, it is really a 

 lizard, with rudimentary limbs beneath its skin. It 

 is quite harmless, and indeed useful, living chiefly on 

 slugs. It brings forth living young. 



"The Eev. H. M. Wilkinson, vicar of Milford, 

 informs me that when living at Bisterne he once 

 heard a disturbance amongst his poultry, and found 

 that it was caused by a slow-worm, which had the tail 

 of a young one hanging from its mouth. On killing 

 it, he found several others in its stomach. 



" The Common Lizard {Lacerta vivipara). 



" Universally distributed, including the island. 



" This is the common little brown scaly lizard, 

 found upon all our dry banks and heaths. The forest 

 people call it the Furze Evvet, to distinguish it from 

 the Water Evvets or Newts. The natural history 

 books call it the Scaly Lizard, or the Viviparous Lizard, 



