49<> THE GEISSOSAURI AND THE BLINDWOKM. 



the Geissosauri, a title derived from two Greek words, the former 

 signitying " the eaves of a house," aud the latter "a lizard." As in 

 this tribe there are many families and more than eighty genera, it will 

 be impossible to give more than a very slight account of these reptiles, or 

 even to mention more than a small number selected as types of the large 

 or small groups which they represent. 



The large and important family of the Skinks contains between 

 forty and fifty genera^ nearly each of which possesses one or more 

 species concerning which there is something -svorthy of notice. 



This family finds a familiar representative in the common Blindworm, 

 ur Snoww'ORM, of England, which, from its snake-like form and extreme 



fnigility, might 

 well deserve the 

 title of the Eng- 

 lish Glass Snake. 

 In this reptile 

 there is no ex- 



_^ _^ ^^ _^^^^ ternal trace of 



"^/T^ ""^MBM^^^^^t ..^J ^^^KHHi^^ "^^ _- limbs, the body 



^ being uniiormly 

 smooth as that 

 of a serpent, 

 and even more 

 so than in some 

 of the snakes, 

 rp,„ X, , . . ., . where the pres- 



•^ '^ ^ ence of the hmd- 



er pair of limbs is indicated by a couple of little hook-like appendages. 

 Under the skin, however, the traces of limbs may be discovered, but the 

 bones of the shoulders, the breast, and the pelvis are very small and 

 quite rudimentary. 



This elegant little reptile is very common throughout England, and 

 IS spread over the greater part of Europe and portions of Asia, not, 

 however, being found in the extreme North of Europe. In this coun- 

 try it IS plentiful along hedge-rows, heaths, forest-lands, and similar sit- 

 uations, where it can find immediate shelter from its few enemies and 

 l)e abundantly supplied with food. It may often be seen crawling leis- 

 urely over a beaten footpath, and I have once captured it while cross- 

 ing a wide turnpike-road near Oxford. 



Why the name of the Blindworm should have been given to this 

 creature I cannot even conjecture, for it has a pair of conspicuous 

 though not very large eyes, which shine as brightlv as those of any 

 animal, and are capable of good service. Indeed, all animals which 

 prey upon insects and similar moving things must of necessity possess 



