2366 REPTILES 



abundant lizards the majority are iguanas, the true lizards (Lacertidai) of the Old 

 World being replaced by the teiias ( Teiida:} ; snakes are also numerous, among 

 them being rattlesnakes and boas. In the North-American region there are no 

 caimans, their place being taken by an alligator; while fresh-water S-necked tor- 

 toises, as well as soft tortoises, replace the side-necked tortoises of the southern 

 half of the continent. The snapping tortoises {Chelydridce} are also mainly charac- 

 teristic of this region, although one genus ranges as far south as Ecuador. As re- 

 gards its lizards and snakes, this region presents the same relation to the pieceding 

 as is held by Euro- Asia to the Oriental and African regions. Lastly, New Zealand 

 stands apart from all other countries in possessing the remarkable tuatera, in ad- 

 dition to which its only reptiles are skinks and geckos. 



