CLASS REPTILIA 



553 



Fig. 454. — The flying dragon, Draco volans. 

 (From Gadow.) 



Family Agamid^e. — Old World Lizards. — These lizards 

 can be readily distinguished by the position of their teeth, which 

 are set on the t^, 

 edges of the jaw- 

 bones (acrodont 

 dentition) and not 

 in grooves or 

 sockets. There 

 are thirty genera 

 and about two 

 hundred specie: 

 in the family. 



The flying- 

 dragon, Draco 

 volans (Fig. 454), 

 is a species whose 

 sides are ex- 

 panded into thin membranes supported by ribs. These mem- 

 branes are employed as a parachute when leaping from tree 

 to tree, and are folded when not in use. It is about ten inches 



long and inhabits 

 the Malay Penin- 

 sula, Sumatra, 

 Java, and Borneo. 

 Members of the 

 genus Calotes have 

 the power of chang- 

 ing their colors 

 rapidly. Another 

 interesting genus is 

 hi amy do saurus , 

 which includes the 

 frilled lizard, C. 



Fig. 455. — The frilled lizard, Chlamydosaurus ° ^ °" 4op/- 



kingi, at bay. (From Gadow.) This species in- 



