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tremely brilliant; the legs short, toes dilated, four of them 

 lamellated, the fifth hardly visible. In Bourbon, these 

 reptiles are met with everyAvhere — in the houses, in the 

 fields, and on the trees ; but, in Mauritius, where they are 

 by no means so numerous, you genei'ally find them on the 

 Pandanus Vacqua, creeping along, and licking off the 

 luscious pulp that covers the core of the fruit after the nuts 

 have dropped off. When these reptiles are irritated, their 

 brilliant colours change suddenly to a dusky hue. 



" The Gecko cameraria^ C. is of a grey-colour, dotted 

 with black. It is five inches long, of which the tail forms 

 one half; body depressed, with a groove along the back; 

 tail also depressed, and muricated on the sides. The toes 

 are five in number, lamellated, and furnished with large 

 hooked claws. A single row of subfemoral papillae. May 

 not these papillae be peculiar to one of the sexes ? During 

 the day-time, these lizards remain concealed in holes and 

 dark corners ; but at night, they turn out in vast numbers, 

 running along the walls and ceilings of rooms, and even on 

 the glass of the windows, to which they adhere by means of 

 their lamellated feet, preying on flies and small moths. 

 Nor is it unamusing to watch their motions when the 

 insects are on the opposite side of the glass, fluttering to 

 get in to the light — the pause they make after each unsuc- 

 cessful dart of the tongue, as if confounded at having 

 missed so fair a shot. In the hurry of pursuit, they some- 

 times miss their hold, and drop down. I do not know a 

 more unpleasant sensation than that which is excited by the 

 fiill of one of these little reptiles on the face, or any other 

 naked part of the body. It invariably foils on its belly, 

 which feels as cold as a piece of ice, and remains for 

 some time stunned, and, as it were, glued to the skin. 



" The Sci?ik is about eight inches in length, of a pale- 

 brown colour. It is uncommonly active in its motions, and 

 very timid. In Bourbon it is abundant, but comparatively 

 rare in Mauritius, and confined for the most part to the 

 coral-banks. 



" Navigators have described, in most fflowinir language, 



