270 



ZOOLOGY 



The ancient Egyptians regarded these crocodile-like lizards 

 as the greatest enemies of the crocodile. 



The Lacertidae, 1 which are common in middle and south- 

 ern Europe, are agile, harmless creatures, often of bright 

 colors, and are commonly and favorably known. The more 



FIG. 252. Lacerta viridis, the green lizard of Europe. After Brehm. 



abundant are the "green lizard" (Fig. 252), the "sand- 

 lizard," and the " wall-lizard " of the Latin countries. 



The Helodermidae include the largest lizard of the 

 United States, the so-called " Gila monster," which in- 

 habits New Mexico, Arizona, and the country southward. 

 The lizard is colored brown, with reddish spots and numer- 



1 From lacerta, lizard. 



