THE LIZARDS 



505 



esting discovery. He will find that dis- 

 locations can be effected with fascinating 

 regularity at e\'ery second scale, until he 

 reaches the point where the tail is suffi- 

 ciently attenuated and sufficiently elastic 

 to be bent beyond itself without breaking. 



tion, while a \'iolently excited lizard will 

 stii'fen his tail and lash it from side to side. 

 Shcjuld there be clear space for this 

 manoeuvre, no harm will result, but should 

 the stiffened tail strike some non-yielding 

 obstacle (the wall of a cage, for example) 



4 5 



THE NORMAL TAIL DISLOCATION OF A LIZARD. 



1. The distal end of a Lizard's broken tail, showing the end of a vertebra and the eight hollows surrounding 



it, into which eight muscles fitted loosely. 



2. The proximal end of the same, showing the end of the succeeding vertebra, and the eight muscles spread 



outw^ards. 

 3 and 5. Two other aspects of the proximal end. 

 4. A partial break, showing the muscles of the proximal end (left) half-freed from the sockets at the distal end 



(right). 



He wiU find a further fascination in the 

 curiously uncanny movements of the tail 

 as he dislocates it. Such movements last 

 for a considerable time, and can be felt 

 even when they have ceased to be visible. 



The dislocation of a lizard's tail is so 

 easily accomphshcd that it is not sur- 

 prising to find the belief prevalent that a 

 lizard can part with this portion of himself 

 voluntarily, and that he does so with a 

 view to divert attack from his body. 



A wild lizard who is pinned or caught 

 by the tail alone, will make such a wriggle 

 as will almost invariably cause a disloca- 



dislocation is very liable to occur, ami in 

 this case a second blow will send the tail- 

 end flying. 



It is established that lizartls reproduce 

 a serviceable tail-like organ in place of a 

 lost tail. It is also established that a 

 second or even third false tail may 

 branch off from, a point on the main trunk 

 line where there has been an injury, but 

 not a sufficient injury to cause complete 

 dislocation. Of one such secondary 

 " false " tail 1 give an illustration. It 

 contained no vertebrae, but, in place of 

 these, a flexible rod of cartilage. In the 



