THE LIZARDS. 303 



It is oviparous, the female depositing about a dozen eggs in 

 the sand, where they are left to hatch out by themselves. 



In the Slow-Worm, or " Blind-Worm," as it is often mis- 

 called, we have a type outwardly resembling the snakes. 

 Slow- but in reality — as proved by the traces of 

 'Worm, rudimentary feet beneath the skin, as well as 

 by the movable eyelids (which it closes when hibernating 

 or asleep), the shoulder-girdle, pelvis, and solid lower jaw — 

 a lizard. This harmless creature is, like the snakes, absent 

 from Ireland. It grows to a length of over 15 inches, but 

 the average measurements are considerably under this, and 

 a more common length is 10 inches. In colour, it is of a 

 metallic red or grey along the back, dirty w^hite or darker 

 along the belly. The tail, which is about the length of the 

 body, is covered with minute scales; the head and eyes 

 are small; the tongue notched, but not forked, as in snakes. 

 There is a rudimentary third eye, not functional, in this 

 reptile. I have observed as many as a dozen large slow- 

 worms on the Downs beyond Clifton, all within a hundred 

 yards ; and in the low land bordering on the Avon beyond, 

 both it and the viper were common in summer, the latter 

 showing the more decided preference for w^et spots. The 

 period of hibernation is shorter with the slow- worm than 

 wdth any other reptile. It casts its slough in the same way 

 as snakes. Its food consists largely of snails and worms. 

 It is viviparous, producing ten or twelve young in July, 

 often in the vicinity of a manure-heap. True to its name, 

 this reptile shows less anxiety than any other I know to 

 get out of the way when disturbed. It lies stiff and 

 motionless in your path, and, if seized roughly, will some- 

 times, though not invariably, leave the tail in its captor's 

 hand, a habit characteristic of many lizards. The brittle- 

 ness of this creature, however, to which it owes its specific 

 name, has been grossly exaggerated. Though its teeth are 

 too insignificant to penetrate the skin, the slow-worm is 

 very savage, and bites furiously. 



