122 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 
great trouble. Its food consists of insects, especially such as are 
found under decaying wood.” ‘The colouring of this Lizard is remark- 
ably brown, with narrow zig-zag black bands above, and green below, 
with a white medium stripe bordered with black ; throat and breast 
black, with a broad green band across. Various species of kindred 
genera were collected by Mr. Darwin, and are figured in the “ Zoology 
of H.M.S. Beagle,” and of one of these (probably Lecolenus Darwinit), 
which he observed at Bahia Blanca, in Northern Patagonia, he re- 
marks that “it lives on the bare sand near the sea-coast, and from 
its mottled colour, the brownish scales being speckled with white, 
yellowish red, and dirty blue, can hardly be distinguished from the 
surrounding surface. When frightened it attempts to avoid discovery 
by feigning death, with outstretched legs, depressed body, and closed 
eyes ; if further molested, it buries itself with great quickness in the 
loose sand. ‘This Lizard, from its flattened body and short legs, can- 
not run quickly.” With others these Lizards constitute the sub-family 
Tropidolepine of Dr. Gray, which are followed by the sub-family 
Phrynosoming, i which some very singular Lizards find their place. 
The most extraordinary of them constitute the genus PArynosoma, 
four species of which inhabit western North America. These have 
great spines to the occiput, in these respects resembling the African 
genus Cordylus (p. tor), and very toad-like proportions, looking some- 
what like toads with short tails ; and again they decidedly approximate 
in appearance to the curious AZoloch horridus of Western Australia, 
which belongs to the corresponding Old World family of Agancde ; 
and, like that strange reptile, they are slow of motion and perfectly 
harmless, and they may be handled with impunity, as they never 
attempt to bite. | 
FLYING LIZARDS. 
Flying Lizards (Draco) have the head small, the nostrils in a 
scale, tubular, on the side ridge ; tympanum white and opaque. They 
live on trees, walking with agility with their wings folded by their 
sides. These wings they expand and use as a parachute when they 
throw themselves upon their prey from the tops of trees or other 
elevated places, but they cannot move them as birds do. These re- 
markable appendages are also used as a fan to drive off insects. 
[The fabulous dragons of the ancient Greeks were serpents or 
lizards with remarkably piercing sight, which guarded treasures and 
devoured men. The dragons ot medizval artists were frightful and 
fantastic beings, one half bat and the other half quadruped or 
serpent. The little Saurians which now bear the once dreaded name 
