LIZARDS. 73 
will be no little trouble to re-catch them. Gentles may occasion- 
ally be thrown into the case, and those that are not eaten at once 
will bury themselves in the mould and re-appear in course of 
time in the shape of flies. Not many maggots should be provided 
at once, or there will be more flies together than the Geckos 
‘‘can make use of,” to quote a common Devonshire expression. 
A few now and then will be more satisfactory. Cockroaches. 
earwigs, spiders, and mealworms will be readily eaten. 
In winter time the Geckos’ case should be placed near the hot- 
water pipes in a green-house, or during that season these Reptiles 
may be kept in a heated Vivarium like that represented by Fig. 6 
or Fig. 12. Personally I have found Geckos hardy and interest- 
ing animals, requiring very little trouble, and if cockroaches are 
their principal food, they (the cockroaches) will, until eaten, live 
apparently quite happily with the Geckos, even voluntarily taking 
refuge under the same piece of cork bark. Pieces of bread or 
sugar should be supplied for the blackbeetles to eat. The con- 
tents of one well-stocked beetle-trap will provide a few Geckos with 
prey for a considerable time. I think that the insects live in no 
fear of the Reptiles. Cockroaches themselves are also interesting. 
Geckos move without making the slightest noise; indeed, they 
seem to glide in a series of rapid jerks rather than run. As they 
stop, they constantly raise the head, apparently to reconnoitre, 
to watch for prey, or to guard against being taken by an enemy. 
The movements of a Gecko are unlike those of any other animal. 
The Geckos are perfectly harmless, though the natives of some 
countries in which they abound look upon them with fear and 
disgust, believing them to be poisonous, and that their crawling 
over the human body will produce leprous sores. 
The following Geckos are among the most suitable for confine- 
ment in this country :— 
1. The Wall Gecko (Platydactylus muralis), the Tarentola of 
the Italians.—The Geckos of this (the broad-fingered) genus have 
their toes widened throughout their length, and covered beneath 
with transverse, imbricated scales. All the toes of the feet of this 
species are nearly equal in length, and only the third and fourth 
toes of each foot is provided with aclaw. The head is depressed, 
and rather broad behind the eyes. The males have a row of 
