392 



METAZOAN PHYLA 



membranous fold of the skin, forming a sort of gliding plane. In tropical 

 America are large lizards known as iguanas which are a favorite article 



Fig. 279.— The flying dragon, Draco volans. From a preserved specimen. X }4- 



in the native diet. The horned toads (Fig. 278) of the West are lizards. 

 The only poisonous lizard known is the Gila monster found from south- 



FiG. 280. — Common garter snake, Eutaenia sp., swallowing a toad which has inflated 

 itself as a "preventive measure." Frogs, toads, and earthworms are the principal food. 

 The striped snakes, called the garter snakes, are the most common snakes of North America. 

 (Photographed, copyrighted, and contributed by Gayle Pickwdl.) 



western United States to Central America. The largest lizards in the 

 world are the monitors of the Lesser Sunda Islands in the Malay Archi- 

 pelago which reach a length of 15 feet. 



