178 FLYING DRAGOX. 



tribe ; but furnished with large, expansile, cutane- 

 ous processes, covered, like the rest of the animal, 

 with small scales, and strengthened internally by 

 several radii or ribs, extending to the extreme 

 verge of the membrane, and giving the power of 

 contraction and dilatation. As this is a circum- 

 stance which separates it from the rest of the 

 Lizard tribe, Linnaeus was induced to institute 

 for it a distinct genus under the title above men- 

 tioned, and which it seems more proper to retain 

 than to rank the animal, as some have done, under 

 the genus Lacerta. 



The total length of this highly curious creature 

 is commonly about nine or ten inches, or at most 

 a foot ; the tail being extremely long in propor- 

 tion to the body, which does not measure more 

 than about four inches in length. The head is 

 of a very singular form, being furnished beneath 

 with a very large triple pouch or process, one 

 part of which descends beneath the throat, while 

 the two remaining parts project on each side ; all 

 are sharp-pointed, and seem analogous in some de- 

 gree to the gular crests of the Guana and other 

 Lizards, but are still more conspicuous in propor- 

 tion to the size of the animal. The head is of 

 moderate size ; the mouth rather wide ; the tongue 

 large, and thick at the base ; the teeth small and 

 numerous; the neck rather small; the body and 

 limbs somewhat slender, and universally covered 

 with small acuminated and closely-set scales, 

 which incline more to a minutely aculeated ap- 

 pearance on the tail. The colour of the Dragon 



