122 LIZARDS. 



than 13 inches, this species is noticeable for its brilliant coloration in the living 

 state, although the hues rapidly fade away after death. When alive, the head is 

 flame-red, the throat spotted with yellow, and the body and limbs a deep steel-blue, 

 while along the middle of the back there is generally a whitish line. The lower 

 surface of the basal half of the tail is yellowish, the corresponding upper portion 

 steely blue, as is the tip, while the remainder is red. Very old specimens have, 

 however, both surfaces of the base of the tail blue, the remainder of the upper 

 surface, except a small blue tip, being red. Females are at all ages, much more 

 soberly coloured. In some spots these agamas are found in swarms, being very 

 fond of climbing up the mud-walls and mat-roofs of the native huts, at times 

 basking motionless in the sun, and at others running rapidly about in search of 

 insects. When approached by a human being, they raise and depress their heads 

 in a series of nods, which increase in rapidity as the intruder draws near, till, 

 finally, the creatures lose courage, and disappear, with the speed of lightning, 

 into some crack or cranny. So brilliant do these gorgeously-coloured lizards 

 appear, when basking in the midday rays of an African sun, that the observer is 

 fain to believe he is gazing on some splendid insect rather than a reptile. 



Rough-Tailed Belonging to a group of the genus distinguished from the one 



Agama. containing the species described above by the absence of enlargement 

 of the occipital scale of the head, the rough-tailed agama (A. stellio), depicted in the 

 illustration on p. 105, is interesting as being one of the two members of the genus 

 whose range extends into South -Eastern Europe. Whereas, however, the other 

 members of the group have the tail more or less ringed, the rough-tailed agama, 

 together with the second European species (A. caucasica) and a third (A. microlepis), 

 are peculiar in that the tail is divided into distinct segments, each composed of a pair 

 of rings of scales. Growing to nearly a foot in length, the species under con- 

 sideration is distinguished by its stout body and the moderate degree of depression 

 of the head ; the cheeks of the male being somewhat swollen. The colour of the 

 upper-parts is olive, spotted with black, and generally with a series of large yellow 

 or olive spots down the middle of the back ; the throat of the male having fine 

 bluish grey net-like markings. Occurring in Europe, in Turkey, and certain 

 islands of the jiEgean Sea, the rough-tailed lizard is distributed over the whole 

 of Asia Minor, Syria, Northern Arabia, and Egypt, being much more common in 

 the latter regions than it is in Europe. To the Arabs it is known by the name 

 of kardun-, and it is commonly tamed and kept in captivity by the itinerant 

 snake-charmers of Egypt. As shy and agile in its movements as its congeners, 

 it feeds largely on flies and butterflies, which are captured with remarkable address 

 and agility. 



Before taking leave of this extensive genus, it may be mentioned that there is 

 a third group, agreeing with the last in the small size of the occipital scale of the 

 head, but distinguished by the absence of rings on the tail ; the agile agama (A. 

 agilis) of Persia being a well-known example. The genus Phrynocephalus of 

 South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia comprises rather more than a dozen lizards 

 nearly allied to Agama, but easily distinguished by the concealed aperture of the ear. 

 Australian Although the swollen callous scales in front of the vent in the 



Frilled Lizard. ma les of the agamas have some resemblance to them, the whole of 



