98 REPTILES 



of the posterior ribs, and can be folded up fan-wise. The 

 throat has a short fold in the middle and a pair of lateral flaps, 

 but there is no expansion on the long whip-like tail, which is 

 not brittle. These reptiles are confined to the Malay countries, 

 where they simulate the gorgeous tropical flowers by their 

 brightly coloured wings. Their powers of flight are but moder- 

 ate ; and there appears to be a considerable amount of miscon- 

 ception with regard to the position of the wings when at rest. 

 For example, most books of popular natural history represent 

 these lizards as resting on a branch with outspread wings. In 

 the volume on reptiles in the Cambridge Natural History we 

 read (p. 517) that "they do not fly by moving the wings, but 

 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 

 resemble butterflies, especially since they have the habit of 

 opening and folding their pretty wings". A very different 

 account must however be given as the result of observations on 

 living specimens of Draco volans made by Dr. Paul Krefft 1 in 

 Singapore. He holds that the brightly coloured parachute is 

 hardly ever unfolded except for the purpose of flight ; when 

 the reptile is at rest, or running, the parachute is closely folded 

 against the body, giving the impression of a lizard emaciated 

 by starvation or recent oviposition, but showing no trace of 

 brilliant coloration. The account of the colours of the male 

 and female in life by Dr. Krefft agrees with that given by 

 Captain Flower in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 

 1896. The latter observer states that these lizards when at 

 rest on the trunk of a tree are almost invisible, owing to the 

 dark mottled-brown tint, the bright colour of the wings show- 

 ing only when they dart through the air. 



In the case of the fringed gecko (Ptychozoum homalocephahini), 

 which is likewise a Malay reptile, the membranous expansions 

 are said to serve the purpose of a parachute but this requires 

 confirmation. 



As already mentioned, three tree-snakes from Borneo are 

 stated by the natives (and native testimony has generally a 

 foundation of truth) to possess the power of taking flying leaps 

 from the boughs of trees to the ground (see p. 34). 



1 Zoologischer Garten, August, 1904. 



