THE GIRDLED LIZARDS 



2503 



Turning it over to examine the eye, another stream spurted from the other eye. 

 This it did four or five times from both eyes, until my hands, clothes, and gun 

 were sprinkled over with fine drops of bright red blood. I put it in a bag and car- 

 ried it to camp, where, about four hours later, I showed it to Dr. Fisher, when it 

 spurted three more streams from its eyes. ' ' The phenomenon has been subsequently 

 observed in other specimens. 



THE GIRDLED LIZARDS 

 Family ZONURID^ 



Omitting mention of a family represented only by one genus (Xenosaurus) and 

 one species from Mexico, the next group for consideration is that of the girdled liz- 

 ards, from tropical and South Africa, and Madagascar, of which there are four 

 genera. These lizards, which may be either snake-like in form, or provided with four 



CAPE GIRDLE-TAILED LIZARD. 

 (Natural size.) 



fully-developed limbs, differ from all those hitherto described, with the exception 

 of certain geckoes, in having the temporal fossae of the skull roofed over with bone; 

 while they are further characterized by a fold covered with small scales running 

 along the sides of the body and marking off the upper from the under parts. The 

 tongue is simple, with its anterior moiety not extensile, and its tip either rounded, 



