British Reptiles and Amphibians 



with a lavishness that is often somewhat misleading. 

 For instance, Rabbits, Partridges, or House-Flies are 

 spoken of and may be acknowledged as truly common 

 in their respective habitats ; but in applying the word to 

 any or all of the species of Lizards indigenous to the 

 British Isles, it is somewhat of a misnomer. 



Strictly speaking, Lizards are not common. They are 

 more common in some quarters than others, and hence 

 might be more correctly spoken of as local. Taking 

 into account the extent of land embraced within our 

 sea-girt isles, Lizards occupy but a very tiny portion, 

 and that in a very patchy pattern. One may travel many 

 miles without seeing a Lizard of any kind. This 

 feature, of course, holds good in other respects when one 

 comes to consider the distribution of many members of 

 our home fauna. One must ascend the higher hills of 

 the North to flush the Ptarmigan or the Snow Bunting. 

 The Red Deer shun the lands where plough and harrow 

 change the colours of the landscape ; Marten and Wild 

 Cat are only dwellers where the silence of day and 

 night obtains. And yet, while this is generally the case 

 as regards the fauna of Britain, individually considered, 

 there are many marked examples of the reverse. The 

 Brown Hare scarcely acknowledges any boundary limit, 

 while the Mole tunnels the soil of every county. 

 Rooks, Starlings, and others annually build their nests 

 from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean to the North 

 Sea's margin. Neither pen nor pencil can tell, in 

 figures, of the insect hatchings by stream or brook in 



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