LIZA R D. 



lowing immediately the crocodiles, \vhich some of the 

 larger species resemble a good deal in their appear- 

 appearance, though the}' are very different in their 

 habits. Lizard has so frequently been used as the 

 name of almost every sanrian reptile, without excep- 

 tion, that the meaning of it is loose ; and even the 

 best systematic naturalists are hardly agreed as to the 

 extent to which it ought to be applied ; so that even 

 Cuvier, whose judgment in the classification of animals 

 according to the structure ranks so high, found it 

 necessary to separate the family of lizards into two 

 distinct orders monitor lizards, and lizards properly 

 so called ; and we shall follow the same order in 

 our brief notice. 



Lizards are^ found chiefly in the warmer parts of 

 the globe ; and though many of them frequent marshy 

 places, and the margins of the waters, and they are all 

 to be considered as properly land animals, and not 

 aquatic ones. Many of them can swim, and do take 

 to the water ; and some of the larger of these, which 

 are of considerable size, though small in comparison 

 with full grown crocodiles, prey upon small animals 

 in shady places by the sides of the water, and occa- 

 sionally upon fishes ; yet they have not the strength 

 nor the ferocity of the crocodiles. 



The distinguishing characters of the lizards are : 

 the tongue slender, extensile, and forming two fila- 

 ments or branches at the point ; as in various kinds 

 of serpents, they all move with rapidity, though in 

 this respect there are considerable differences between 

 them ; they have five toes on each of their feet, three 

 to their bases of unequal length, more especially on 

 the hind feet, and all furnished with claws. Their 

 bodies are lengthened ; and their scales on the belly 

 and tail are ranged in transverse bands. The tym- 

 panum is on the same level with the head, or only a 

 little raised ; a production of the skin, in which there 

 is an opening, which acts as a sphincter, protects the 

 eye by acting something in the manner of a third eye- 

 lid. The false ribs do not extend entirely round the 

 body so as to form a complete circle. The opening 

 of the ear is oval, and very conspicuous ; but there is 

 not an elevated crest either on the head or along the 

 back. The tail is, at least, as long as the body. It 

 is of a cylindrical form, and composed of jointed 

 rings, and without upper crests. The feet are all 

 nearly of equal length ; and under each thigh there 

 is a range of small porous scaly tubercles. There 

 are five distinct toes on each foot, terminated by 

 crooked claws. A good many of the species are 

 found in woody situations, where they seek their food 

 among the foliage, or in the underwood. This food 

 consists chiefly of insects. Others inhabit ruinous 

 buildings ; and they are even met with near the habi- 

 tations of man, subsisting partly on insects and partly 

 on vegetables. A few others are found frequenting 

 marshes, ponds, or lakes y where they prey on the 

 small animals which inhabit them. The lizards are, 

 generally speaking, active, lively reptiles, and, all 

 circumstances considered, may be reckoned the least 

 repulsive of all the saurian tribes. They are per- 

 fectly innocent in their manners ; and not a few of 

 them are of an agreeable form, and beautifully 

 coloured, constituting pleasing objects in the scenery 

 of tropical countries. This is especially the case 

 with maii) r of the smaller ones, which reside in dry 

 places, and resort to the trees, among which their 

 motions are often so rapid that they bear no inconsi- 

 derable resemblance to finely coloured birds. 



Though the true lizards have not the ferocious dis- 

 position of the crocodiles, and tew or none of them 

 give ou those poisonous, or otherwise offensive 

 secretions which are given out by some other 

 saurians, yet there are sometimes prejudices against 

 them merely on account of their form, though others 

 are highly esteemed in consequence of real or sup- 

 posed services which they render to mankind by 

 destroying animals more offensive than themselves. 

 They are, as we have said, conveniently divided into 

 two generic sections, monitors ana proper lizards ; and 

 the first admit of sub-division. 



MONITORS. This name is not very appropriate, 

 because it is somewhat doubtful to what extent these 

 animals give the warning against crocodiles and cay- 

 mans which they are supposed to give ; but they 

 have been still more unfortunate in getting the name 

 of a tribe of American Indians, the Topinambos, 

 among whom an American species is called Tema- 

 pora ; and Seba, we believe, in transferring this name 

 into natural history, mistook the name of the people 

 for the name of the animal ; and accordingly, until 

 Cuvier set them right, naturalists were in the habit of 

 calling those large lizards Tubinambes. They are by 

 far the largest of the lizard family ; and some" of them 

 grow to the length of five or six feet. They have 

 teeth in both jaws, but none on the palate ; and they 

 swim better than most other lizards, in consequence 

 of the tail being compressed laterally, and having a 

 pretty strong lateral motion, so that it can act like the 

 taiUof a fish. They chiefly inhabit the edges of the 

 waters ; and very many of them find the principal part 

 of their food by swimming ; but there are also others 

 which are,strictly speaking, land animals, and are found 

 near the borders of the deserts. The cry which they 

 utter when alarmed, or otherwise affected, is a sort of 

 hissing whistle ; and the reason of their being called 

 monitors, or safe-guards, is supposed to be their 

 uttering this cry on the appearance of the more for- 

 midable reptiles, and by that means warning other 

 creatures of their danger ; but the fact of their doing 

 this is reported rather than proved. 



Cuvier makes three sub-divisions of them : moni- 

 tors, properly so called, which are all inhabitants of 

 the warmer parts of the eastern continent : dragons, 

 which are found in South America ; and safe-guards, 

 which inhabit the same country. We shall notice 

 one or two of the leading species in each of the sub- 

 divisions. 



MONITOR OF THE NILE (L. Nilotica). This 

 is a species which has been much celebrated for the 

 services rendered to mankind in protecting them from 

 the crocodiles of the Nile, both by giving warning of 

 their approach, and by eating the eggs and the young. 

 How tar this may have been true in former times 

 cannot be very clearly ascertained ; but in upper 

 Egypt at least, it does not appear that much warning 

 is given by this lizard, though it still continues to eat 

 the eggs and the young of the crocodile. Crocodiles 

 are not so numerous in the Lower Nile as they are re- 

 presented to have once been, and they are not nearly 

 so formidable, it being rare that any human being falls 

 a victim to them. But in the south, above the cata- 

 racts, and about the province of Sennaar, where the 

 climate is more tropical, they are far more formidable, 

 and often seize those who are washing clothes, or 

 otherwise employed near the edge of the water. This 

 lizard grows to the length of five or six feet. It is of 

 a brown colour, clouded with lighter or darker shades, 



