THE WAfcTY LIZARD. 



Description Manners. 



THE WARTY LIZ4RD 





IS six or sevefn inches in length, and entirely 

 covered^ except on the belly, with small warts; 

 The under parts are of a bright yellow color, and 

 the upper mostly of a black brown, spotted with 

 black. It is very common in this country, where 

 it resides altogether either in the water, or in 

 very damp places, and its tail being flattened 

 perpendicularly, serves it as a rudder in swim- 

 ing. It is usually seen crawling along the bot- 

 tom, but it now and then rises, with a wriggling 

 motion, to the surface. 



Being never seen in winter, these lizards are 

 supposed to retire into holes or mud^ and become 

 torpid. They deposit their spawn towards the 

 end of May or beginning of June, in small clus- 

 ters, consisting of several palish yellow-brown 

 globules included in surrounding gluten. The 

 larvae are furnished with fins on each side of the 

 "breast, which fall off when the animals attain a 

 perfect state. 



_ t . >^ .. '< -n tit'* v rw\ (*fit\ 



These animals, like many other reptiles, change 

 their skins at certain periods. This operation is 

 generally performed at the end of every fortnight 

 or three weeks. A day or two before the change 

 Mr. Baker, who kept some of them in a large 

 jar of water for many months, observed " that 

 the animal always appeared more sluggish than 

 usual, taking no notice of the worms that were 



VOL. VI, NO. 39. F 



