432 LOWER VERTEBRATES. 



Of tlie Teiid^, all the i-epresentatives are New World forms, while the related 

 acrodont Lacertidae are confined to the Old World. The genus Teius has five toes 

 on each foot, the femoral pores distinct, and the throat with two cross-folds, between 

 which are the larger six-sided scales. In the young individuals, the teeth are plu- 

 rodont, pectinate in front, and three-lobed on the sides, but as the animal increases 

 in age the bone of the jaw grows uj) and around their bases, and the front teeth 

 become more rounded. 



T. teguexim, or the variegated-lizard, as it is called by some, in allusion to the dis- 

 position of its colors, is of a green shade varied with black, and ornamented with two 

 series of white spots on the upper part of each flank. In some localities it is called 

 the safeguard-lizard, from the attributed habit of giving an alarm on the approach of 

 alligators, in the same way that the monitors of the Nile are said to make known the 

 presence of serpents. It is an animal of considerable size, sometimes reaching the 

 length of five feet, and, being bold and strong, is, when jirovoked, no ordinary enemy. 

 It inhabits the more retired situations of tropical Brazil, where it finds an abundance 

 of the small reptiles and insects on which it feeds. 



Ameiva has the ventral shields broad and smooth ; the tongue elongate and 

 sheathed at its base ; the teeth compressed, and three lobed, and the feet ending in 

 five toes. Several species inhabit the more tropical portions of the New World. 

 A. dorsalis, the ground-lizard, is one of the most abundant reptiles of Jamaica, where 

 it is often seen by the road-side, as it is scratching in the sand, or peering out from 

 behind some fallen leaf. Always restless and active, it sometimes shoots along over 

 the short grass with such rapidity that it seems to fly. It is met with everywhere, 

 not only along byways, but in open pastures and cultivated fields, its beautifully 

 colored body, bright green eyes, and gentle manners rendering it a universal favorite 

 in spite of all prejudices. 



Allied to Ameiva, but having the tongue free at the base, is Cnemidophorus, a 

 genus represented in the United States by a dozen species, the most of which inhabit 

 the Rocky Mountains, though C. sexlineatus, the six-lined or striped-lizard, is abun- 

 dantly found in the southern states as far north as Virginia, and extending west into 

 Mexico. It is a lively little animal, running about on the ground with great swiftness 

 in search of insects, and often in the neighborhood of plantations, where its prey 

 abounds. It is a timid animal, however, seldom wandering far from its retreat, and is 

 more or less crepuscular, being seen, the male and female often in company, towards 

 the close of day. The ordinary length is about ten inches, of which the tail 

 is more than half. The animal is dark brown above, marked with six yellow 

 longitudinal lines, all but two of which disappear on reaching the tail, which is 

 roughened by the carlnated scales. Below, the scales are smooth, and of a silvery- 

 blue color. 



C. tif/ris, inhalnting the Pacific slope, Utah, and the country lying south, has 

 four yellowish indistinct stripes along the dorsum, and while the back and upper 

 portions of the legs are covered with only minute scales, those of the lower 

 side of the body and legs, as well as those of the throat, are large and strong. On 

 the tail, which is cylindrical, and two and one half times the length of the body, the 

 scales are of a third character, being longer than broad, arranged in annular rows, and 

 more or less carinated. 



The family Amphtsb^nid^ contains some of the most degraded lacertilians, 

 though they have points of structure which connect them with the previous family. 



