LIZARDS. yg 
only to hear the oft-repeated remark or equivalent words, ‘*It is 
very strange, I never see them. I did not kuow there were any 
in the neighbourhood.” 
My two small boys—the eldest nine years old—have frequently 
caught for me, when I wanted them, several in a morning. They 
soon learnt to find them, and to catch them without breaking 
their tails or hurting them in any way. 
The Lizards may generally be found in summer-time, basking 
in the sun on the banks of our hedges or on our moors and 
heaths. The banks which face the south are the most frequented 
by these little creatures. They generally prefer a small bare 
spot among the herbage on which to le. They then get as much 
heat as possible. It is by no means difficult to see them when 
one knows what to look for. Sometimes they may be heard rush- 
ing away through the grass towards their hole, and one is just 
able to catch a glimpse of a tail as it disappears. After waiting 
a minute or two, the animal will cautiously reappear, and continue 
its interrupted basking. 
Lizards can be caught in several ways. For example, with the 
help of a hand-net, with asnare, and with the hand. The last is, I 
think, the best way: the first, perhaps the least satisfactory. 
The net may break the tail, if the Reptile has not already es- 
caped between its edge and the ground through the intervention 
of some stick or stone. The snare, which is just simply a horse- 
hair noose fixed to the end of a long and slender stick, is very 
effective if the spot where the Lizard is lying be not too much 
surrounded with vegetation. To catch these most active little 
creatures with the hand one must be exceedingly quick and 
gentle. With a little practice this quickness and lightness of 
hand will come, and the Lizards may be picked up with com- 
parative ease. A small, thin canvas bag is, I have found, the 
best receptacle for the captives, the mouth of which may be kept 
closed by means of a strong elastic band. 
Strangely enough, well-frequented country roads are the best 
for a Lizard hunt, providing, of course, that the bank be suit- 
able and exposed to the south or southward. The reason for this 
is, I imagine, that the Reptiles get more or less used to passers- 
by, and do not scurry off at the sound of footsteps, as they 
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