THE REPTILE VIVARIUM. 125 



remaining there for some three or four minutes. It 

 will then fix its eye on some fly sitting on the side 

 of the case, and will cautiously steal up to it till 

 within a short distance, when, gathering itself 

 together, it makes a spring, generally seizing the 

 fly (though I have sometimes seen them miss their 

 mark), and soon swallowing it. After having 

 captured three or four insects in this manner, it 

 will take up a position on some leaf, or on the sides 

 of the glass to which it is enabled to adhere by 

 means of the suckers which form small flattened 

 discs at the ends of the toes and remain in a 

 quiescent state for several hours, when it will be on 

 the look-out for another meal. If very hungry, it 

 will awake from its lethargic state during the day- 

 time, if a fly be put in, but usually it is only on the 

 alert at night. 



The green lizard, however, is by far the most 

 beautiful' and entertaining pet, as it may be seen 

 at one moment basking in the sunshine, with 

 its enamelled scales flashing like emeralds; at 

 the next, darting after flies, with lightning-like 

 celerity. Should any smaller lizard succeed in 

 catching a fly while it is near, the green lizard 

 pursues the offender, endeavouring to bite, and 

 forcing the other to relinquish the prey it has 

 seized. It is on this account rather tyrannical in 

 the vivarium ; and though it possesses great beauty 



