22 



LACERTID.E. 



larger and triangular. The use of these pores is not known. 

 They vary exceedingly in number, even in the same species : 

 in this respect, therefore, they afford no distinctive cha- 

 racters. 



In some species, in addition to the teeth which are placed 

 in the margins of the upper and lower jaws, there are also a 

 few very minute ones in the back part of the palate, which 

 may be readily felt by a pin or the point of a penknife. 

 The existence or absence of these palatine teeth would, per- 

 haps, scarcely be admissible alone as a generic distinction ; but 

 when combined with others, and associated also with a 

 marked difference of habit, it may be admitted as a valuable, 

 because a tangible and permanent character. It is on this 

 account that I have employed it as one of the means of 

 generic discrimination between our two English Lizards. 



I now proceed to the consideration of our first species. 



It has been well remarked by the Prince of Musignano, 

 whose knowledge of the European Vertebrata in general, and 

 of the Reptilia in particular, is undoubtedly superior to that 

 of any other naturalist, that the Linnean term agilts has 

 been applied by the Zoologists of different countries to that 

 species of Lizard which is best known or most common in 

 their own. Thus the Podarcis muralis, the common Lizard 

 of Italy and of France, has been so called by Italian and 

 French writers ; and our own little indigenous species, so 

 frequent in almost all parts of England, which I shall pre- 

 sently describe under its proper appellation of Zootoca vivi- 

 para, has hitherto received the same name from every Bri- 

 tish naturalist who has written on the subject. Not even 

 when the present handsome species was distinguished as in- 

 digenous to this country, was it suspected that the name 

 applied to the former was erroneous as so applied, and still 

 less that it might, in fact, appertain to this new addition to 

 our Fauna. 



