AGAMIDAE ' 517 



male has a small nuchal crest. The upper parts of this pretty 

 creature have a metallic sheen, with small dark spots and 

 undulating cross-bands upon the rich brown ground-colour. The 

 wings are orange witli Ijlack markings. The gular sac of the 

 male is orange, that of the female is blue. 



The " Flying Dragons " use their wings as parachutes, but their 

 sailing powers are said to be very moderate. Certainly they do not . 

 fly by moving the wings, Iwt when at rest upon a branch, amidst 

 the luxurious vegetation and in the immediate neighbourhood of 

 gorgeously coloured flowers, which partly conceal them by their 

 likeness, they greatly resemljle ]:)utterflies, especially since they 

 have the habit of opening and folding their pretty wings. 



Cerato2)hora. — This exclusively Ceylonese genus is remarkable 

 for a flexible, erect, and pointed appendage which arises from the 

 top of the snout ; it is best developed in the males, vestigial or 

 absent in the females. Gular appendages are absent. The trunk is 

 crestless, slightly compressed, and covered with partly keeled scales. 

 The tail is slender and very long, about two-thirds of the total length 

 of the animal. The general colour is olive-brown, with irregular 

 darker markings and with light streaks on the head and thighs. 

 C. stoddarti and C. tennenti are al)out 10 inches long, the former 

 without, the latter with, little scales upon the rostral appendage. 



Lyrioccphalus, with L. scutatus (Fig 124) of Ceylon as the 

 only species, is remarkable for its Chameleon-like appearance. A 

 splendid case of convergent evolution, but most improbably of 

 mimicry. The tympanum is quite hidden. The head is raised into 

 a pair of sharp bony edges. On the top of the nose is a thick 

 globular lump, recalling the genus Ceratopliora, and also various 

 Malagasy Chameleons. The back and sides are covered with very 

 small granular scales, intermixed with several rows of enlarged 

 scales as in Chameleo puvvilus, and there is a serrated crest along 

 the back from neck to tail. The under parts are covered with large 

 keeled scales with sharp points directed backwards, especially on 

 the tail. The whole body is laterally compressed. The pollex and 

 the fifth toe are strongly opposed to the other digits. The general 

 colour is greenish above, whitish below. Total length about one foot. 



Calotes, with many species in India and in the Malay Islands, 

 is distinguished by a crest on the neck and back. Many of the 

 males have a gular sac. The tail is extremely long. These 

 lizards are remarkable for their changes of colour. 



