LIZARDS 



179 



eh,l, b, H. 0. F. SturriU, £,./.] \_Eaitbmrn, 



GREEN LIZARD 



The tail of the green IixarJ is hrillle^ and breaks 'jff in the hand if the 

 animal is held up by it. A neiu tail groivsfnjm the fractured joint tn course 

 oj time. 



along the sides of the head and bod}', 

 while those peculiar to Eastern ICurope 

 and Asia Minor are, in the }'oung con- 

 dition more particular!}-, marked with 

 longitudinal streaks, but their throat is 

 never blue. 



The green hV.ard is one of the 

 most beautiful of its tribe, and, although 

 not indigenous to Great J^ritain, is com- 

 mon in the Channel Islands. In Jerse\", 

 more especially during the summer 

 months, it is one of the most familiar 

 of the " common objects of the country," 

 as it darts in and out of the hedge- 

 rows after flies and other insects, or 

 basks in the bright sunshine on some 

 stone wall, with its emerald-green body 

 flattened out in order to absorb the 

 greatest possible amount of heat. As 

 the colder autumn days advance this lizard is rare!}- visible, and it finall}- retires into some 

 rocky cleft or burrow in the hedge-bank, and is no more seen until the return of spring. 

 Geen lizards, liberated in suitably mild spots in the South of England, ha\'e been known to 

 thrive for brief periods, but succumb to the cold of an extra-severe winter. 



The largest representatives of the green lizard are those inhabiting liastern Europe 

 and Asia Minor, where in size and colour they almost iniperceptibl}- merge into the 

 Pearly or Ocellated Lizard. This very handsome species, which, in company with 

 examples of the green lizard, is frequently imported b}' London dealers, ranges from. 

 16 inches to close upon 2 feet in length. In form it is stouter and more robust than 

 a typical green lizard, the head in the old males more particularly being exceptionallv 

 massive. Whatever may be lacking in grace of form is, however, fully compensated 



for by brilliancy of colouring, 

 no other lizard, in fact, out- 

 ri\'alling it in this respect. To 

 the brilliant shagreen- 

 patterned emerald-green hues 

 of the Jersey species it has 

 superadded along its sides 

 eye-like spots of brilliant tur- 

 quoise or ultra-marine, with 

 dark brown or black encir- 

 cling lines. In the males the 

 green ground-colour has a 

 more distinctl}' golden hue, 

 while in the young indi- 

 viduals the bod}- is more 

 usually olive-colour, dotted 

 throughout with whitish or 

 pearl}--blue, black-edged 

 spots. This beautiful lizard 

 is unfortunately somewhat 

 irascible in temper, and will 

 not as a rule allow itself to 



PhM by W. SavtlU.Kint, F.Z. S.] [Milfird-<,n-S<i 



ocellated lizards at home 



Tht most brilliantly coloured of ii'ving ti-zards. The body is bright emerald-green ^ decorated 

 on the sides ivith azure-blue spots 



