560 FAMILY AGAMIDJS. 



described as being eight feet long, and as having two large scales 

 for wings. The idea of such an animal could not have originated 

 in the harmless little creatures to which the name is now applied ; 

 since these were not known to the ancients. But the term 

 has been retained, on account of the crest or projection on the 

 head by which they are characterised. The Mitred Basilisk is 

 an inhabitant of Guiana, Martinique, and the tropical portions 

 of South America. In its general form and habits, it is not 

 unlike the Iguanas ; but it is more aquatic, and swims with 

 great address by means of the lateral motions of its finny tail. 



496. The AGAMID^E, or Agamas, which are peculiar to the 

 Old World, are in general short, thick-bodied lizards, covered 



with a lax skin, which is 

 capable of being inflated 

 with air at the will of the 

 animals ; they are fre- 

 quently beset with spines, 

 no. 327.-AGAMA. which are raised up when 



the skin is inflated, presenting a formidable array. One of the 

 most remarkable of these spiny Lizards is the Moloch horridus 

 of Australia. This has the whole surface covered with strong 

 spines, and the top of the head has two very large spines ; these 

 are hollow horny cones filled with a fleshy process of the exact 

 form of their interior. The back of the neck also is furnished 

 with a large rounded spiny protuberance, from each side of which 

 springs a longer spine, and altogether the appearance of the 

 Lizard is most singular and forbidding. In many species, the 

 general form and aspect are so Toad-like, that, were it not for 

 the presence of a tail, they might be mistaken for that animal on 

 a first glance. These lurk among rocks, heaps of stones, and 

 mouldering ruins ; where their dull and sombre colours protect 

 them from observation. Others, however, have a more slender 

 contour, longer limbs, and more flexible toes ; and ascend trees 

 with facility. Many of them are capable of changing the colours 

 of the skin. A very remarkable species of this group, found in 

 Australia, is distinguished by the presence of a sort of frill or 

 ruif attached to the neck ; this lies back in plaits, when the ani- 



