174 BRITISH LIZARDS 



common lizard I have only seen in one Worcester- 

 shire locality, viz. Hartlebury Common near Stour- 

 port, a sandy common of considerable area covered 

 with heather, gorse, etc. It probably occurs in other 

 parts, but I have not personally observed it elsewhere, 

 except in the Wyre Forest, where I remember seeing 

 it some few years ago." — W. H. Edwards, Hastings 

 Museum, Worcester. 



The following extract is taken from the Victorian 

 History of Worcestershire (vol. i. pp. 137, 138): — 



" The sand lizard is met with in Worcestershire. 

 Pennant gives Tenbury as a locality, and in parts of 

 the Wyre Forest, and near Kidderminster, it is still to 

 be found. The present writer received one, which 

 was taken on the Worcestershire side of the park of 

 Ragley, the seat of the Marquis of Hertford, which 

 measured a little over 8 inches in length, and another 

 of smaller size, which was captured when removing 

 some rubbish at the entrance to the excavations for 

 gypsum at Spurnal, near Alcester. 



" Common or viviparous lizard. — Although so 

 abundant in the southern counties of England, the 

 present small species is rare in Worcestershire, or at 

 any rate seldom observed, owing, no doubt, in some 

 measure, to its unattractive appearance. There is, 

 however, every reason to conclude that careful search 

 would discover it in localities where it has not yet 

 been noticed. On the Ridgeway, which divides the 

 counties of Worcester and Warwick, this small lizard 



