SAND LIZARD. 141 



along his sides have white centres. The under parts of the 

 female are cream-coloured, and the three rows of white-centred 

 spots on the sides are dark brown. 



The female deposits from five to twelve usually about eight 

 eggs which have white shells of the consistency of parch- 

 ment. These are covered with sand or leaves, and left for the 

 sun to incubate. They are laid in July, and the young are 

 hatched in the same month or early in August. The young 

 Sand Lizards are grey-brown above and whitish below. 



Like the Common Lizard, the Sand Lizard is very apt to lose 

 its tail by voluntary amputation ; and short-tailed specimens 

 are sometimes found which are to be explained by supposing 

 that the original tail has been shed and another grown. 



Characters that distinguish the Sand Lizard from the common 

 species will also be found in the general covering of scales 

 which are strongly keeled and in the ten to eighteen on the 

 thigh that are perforated, which are triangular, larger and 

 flatter than the corresponding scales in the Common Lizard. 

 If we have an opportunity for examining the mouth, too, we 

 shall find that in addition to the teeth on the jaws there is a 

 row of them vomerine teeth on the hinder part of the palate. 

 These are not present in the Common Lizard. Both species 

 spend the winter in a dormant state underground. 



Outside England, the Sand Lizard is a native of Central and 

 Northern Europe, its range extending to the North of Russia 

 and Siberia ; but it is a lizard of the lower lands, whilst the 

 Common Lizard on the Continent is more plentiful in mountain 

 districts. 



There are two species of Lizards that are natives of the 

 Channel Islands, and strangely one and not the other of these 

 is usually included in lists of British animals because the 

 islands are politically British. But the fauna and flora of 

 the Channel Islands belong to those of the nearest mainland 



