TROPICAL NATURE 



Lizards 



Lizards are by far the most abundant in individuals and 

 the most conspicuous ; and they constitute one of the first 

 attractions to the visitor from colder lands. They literally 

 swarm everywhere. In cities they may be seen running 

 along walls and up palings ; sunning themselves on logs of 

 wood, or creeping up to the eaves of cottages. In every 

 garden, road, or dry sandy path, they scamper aside as you 

 walk along. They crawl up trees, keeping at the farther side 

 of the trunk and watching the passer-by with the caution of 

 a squirrel. Some will walk up smooth walls with the greatest 

 ease ; while in houses the various kinds of Geckos cling to 

 the ceilings, along which they run back downwards in pursuit 

 of flies, holding on by means of their dilated toes with 

 suctorial discs, though sometimes, losing hold, they fall upon 

 the table or on the upturned face of the visitor. In the 

 forests large, flat, and marbled Geckos cling to the smooth 

 trunks ; small and active lizards rest on the foliage ; while 

 occasionally the larger kinds, three or four feet long, rustle 

 heavily as they move among the fallen leaves. 



Their colours vary much, but are usually in harmony with 

 their surroundings and habits. Those that climb about walls 

 and rocks are stone -coloured, and sometimes nearly black; 

 the house lizards are gray or pale -ashy, and are hardly 

 visible on a palm - leaf thatch, or even on a white - washed 

 ceiling. In the forest they are often mottled with ashy-green, 

 like lichen -grown bark. Most of the ground - lizards are 

 yellowish or brown ; but some are of beautiful green colours, 

 with very long and slender tails. These are among the most 

 active and lively ; and instead of crawling on their bellies 

 like many lizards, they stand well upon their feet and 

 scamper about with the agility and vivacity of kittens. 

 Their tails are very brittle ; a slight blow causing them to 

 snap off, when a new one grows, which is, however, not 

 so perfectly formed and completely scaled as the original 

 member. It is not uncommon, when a tail is half broken, 

 for a new one to grow out of the wound, producing the 

 curious phenomenon of a forked tail. There are about 1300 

 different kinds of lizards known, the great majority of which 



