406 



HISTORY OF FROGS, LIZARDS, AND SERPENTS. 



a single eye-lid, like a cap with a hole in the 

 middle, through which the sight of the eye 

 appears, which is of a shining brown ; and 

 round it there is a little circle of a gold colour : 

 but the most extraordinary part of their con- 

 formation is, that the animal often moves one 

 eye, when the other is entirely at rest : nay 

 sometimes one eye will seem to look directly 

 forward, while the other looks backward ; and 

 one will look upward, while the other regards 

 the earth. 



To this class of lizards, we may refer the 

 Dragon, a most terrible animal, but most pro- 

 bably not of Nature's formation. Of this 

 death-dealing creature all people have read ; 

 arid the most barbarous countries, to this day, 

 paint it to the imagination in all its terrors, 

 and fear to meet it in every forest. It is not 

 enough that nature has furnished those coun- 

 tries with poisons of various malignity ; with 

 serpents forty feet long ; with elephants, lions, 

 and tigers ; to make their situation really dan- 

 gerous, the capricious imagination is set at 

 work to call up new terrors ; and scarce a 

 savage is found that does not talk of winged 

 serpents of immoderate length, flying away 

 with the camel or the rhinoceros, or destroying 

 mankind by a single glare. Happily, how- 

 ever, such ravagers are nowhere found to exist 

 at present ; and the whole race of dragons is 

 dwindled down to the Flying Lizard, a little 

 harmless creature, that only preys upon insects, 

 and even seems to embellish the forest with 

 its beauty. 



The Flying Lizard of Java perches upon 

 fruit-trees, and feeds upon flies, ants, butter- 

 flies, and other small insects. It is a very 

 harmless creature, and does no mischief in 

 any respect. Gentil, in his voyage round the 

 World, affirms, that he has seen these lizards 

 at the island of Java, in the East Indies. He 

 observed they flew very swiftly from tree to 

 tree ; and having killed one, he could not but 

 admire the skin, which was painted with 

 several beautiful colours : it was a foot in 



length, and had four paws, like the common 

 lizards: but its head was flat, and had ^a small 

 hole in the middle ; the wings were very 

 thin, and resembled those of a flying fish. 

 About the neck were a sort of wattles, not un- 

 like those of cocks, which gave it no disagree- 

 able appearance. He intended to have pre- 

 served it, in order to bring it into Europe; 

 but it was corrupted by the heat, before the 

 close of the day ; however, they have since 

 been brought into England, and are now 

 common enough in the cabinets of the curious. 

 The last animal of the lizard kind that I 

 shall mention, is the Chalcidian Lizard of 

 Aldrovandus, very improperly called the Seps 

 by modern historians, This animal seems to 

 make the shade that separates the lizard from 

 the serpent race. It has four legs, like the 

 lizard ; but so short, as to be utterly unser- 

 viceable in walking : it has a long slender 

 body, like the serpent; and is said to have 

 the serpent's malignity also. The fore legs 

 are very near the head; the hind legs are 

 placed far backward ; but before and behind 

 they seem rather useless incumbrances, than 

 instruments serving to assist the animal in its 

 motions, or in providing for its subsistence. 

 These animals are found above three feet 

 long, and thick in proportion, with a large 

 head and pointed snout. The whole body is 

 covered with scales ; and the belly is white 

 mixed with blue. It has four crooked teeth, 

 as also a pointed tail, which, however, can in- 

 flict no wound. Whether the teeth be similar to 

 the viper's fangs, we are not told; though Vola- 

 teranus says, they are covered with a mem- 

 brane ; by which I am apt to think he means 

 a venom-bag, which is found at the root of 

 teeth of all serpents that are poisonous. It is 

 viviparous ; fifteen young ones having been 

 taken alive out of its belly. Upon the whole, 

 it appears to bear a strong affinity to the viper; 

 and, like that animal, its bite may be danger- 

 ous. 



