THE FAN-FOOT. 71 



THE last family of th< sub-order I/'ptoirliKv-w. <>r Slender-tongued Lizards, is the group of 

 reptiles termed the Rough-tailed Liiords,or UBOIM i i n> i In these Lizards the head IM rather 

 cumpp-s,-d. Hit above, und -li.np towards die mu/jje. The eyes are of nuxierate size, and 

 uitiioui eyelids, a bony scale anawering the purpose. The bod\ i- .-\lin.lriml, and covered 

 with regular. six-aided scales, sometimes ridged, but mostly smooth. The tail is alao cylin- 

 :ni(] abrupt!} t. imina;. i. M ,: . pj ofl ObU [Mlj Than KM M asternal liml-. and !> 

 -\-teniaticnaturali.sts tli<- Rough-tails have been placed among the serpents, which tin > 

 very closely resemble, except in the arrangement of certain scales, and the short, abruptly 

 truncate! tail. 



The Rough-tailed Lizards are divided into three genera, separated from each other by tin* 

 formation of the scales that cover the tail. \Vhil-- moving, the Hou^h -tails aid themselves by 

 pvajriu^ the truncat.-d tail against ftl 0nnd Vsu typical -]< ;-. We tuaj -] t tli.- I'nii n- 

 !: M Sin ; i ; i \i : / ' . , \ ' , '}' > ' ii" ':.>- i' - n.-nn.- :,],,! -. ;:,!i:,|.i^ 1 1... 

 Philippine Islands. In this creature the tail is rather flattened, and roxvrttl alwve with a 

 curious "flat, roundish, radiating, granular shield." On the lower aid> of th- tail the sraleM 

 are arranged in six rows. The color of the Philippine Shield-tail is brown above and white 

 beneath, the line of demarcation being very distinct, and regularly waved. 



THICK-TONGUED LIZARDS; PACHYGLOSS-da. 



A NEW sub-order now comes before our notice, the members of which ore distinguished by 

 the formation of their tongues, which, instead of being flat and coni]ianitivc|y slender, as in 

 the preceding Lizards, are thick, convex, and have a slight nick at the end. On account of 

 this structure, the species of this sub-order are termed PACIIYGLOHH.G, or Thick-tongued 

 Lizards. 



These reptiles are divided into sundry groups, the first of which is termed the NVCTI- 

 RAURA, or Nocturnal Lizards. These creatures have eyes formed for seeing in the du.sk, 

 circular eyelids which, however, cannot meet over the eye-ball, and in almost every caw the 

 pupil is a long narrow slit like that of the cat. The body is always flattened. The limbs are 

 four in number, tolerably powerful, and are used in progression. 



Of these Lizards, the first family is the GECKOTID., or Geckos, a very curious group of 

 reptiles, common in many hot countries, and looked upon with dread or adoration by tin- 

 natives, sometimes with both, where the genius of the nation leads tln-m to reverence the 

 object of their fears, and to form no other conception of supreme power than the capability of 

 doing harm. 



THE FAN-FOOT, or HOUSE GECKO, is a native of Northern Africa, :md i- \TV common in 

 Egypt, and is found, as ita name imports, in houses, traversing the floor and walls with oston- 

 ishing address, in search of its food, which consists of worms, insects, and similar creatures. 

 The natives have a very great dread of this creature, asserting that it is extremely poisonous 

 the poison not being injected by the teeth, but exuding from the lobules of the toes. The 

 generic title Ptyodacrylus, or Toe-spitt.-r. is Driven to the reptile in allusion to this idea. It 

 is said by Hasselqnist, that if a Gecko is taken in the hand, the poisonous matter which is 

 immediately shed over the skin from the feet of the captive, causes an instantaneous eruption. 

 similar to that produced by tli- sting of a nettle. The same tniv.-ll.-r proceeds to relate an 

 incident which i-s hardly so much in accordance with pmkibility. namely, that two women and 

 a girl were lying at the point of death from having eaten some cheese over which one of these 

 reptiles hod walked. 



So great is the dread inspired by this creature, that in Cairo it is popularly termed Abou- 

 burs, or father of the leprosy. The people fancy that it purposely poisons their provisions, 

 and that it is especially fond of conuiiunicatini: the venom to salted meat of all kinds. In 

 former times the Fan-foot was endowed with even greater powers of offence, Its teetli \-\ng 

 added to its weapons, and asserted to be capable of leaving their impression even on steel, 



