SAURIA. 



Agama.* 



The tongue in this, and some of the following ge- 

 nera, is fleshy and thick, not divided, nor capable of 

 protrusion ; the head is bulky, and somewhat heart- 

 shaped, covered with small scales ; the body is thick, 

 clothed with a loose skin, which the animal has the 

 power of inflating ; it is covered uniformly with small 

 scales more or less projecting: the palate is without 

 teeth ; the neck is slender, and furnished behind the 

 ears with pointed spines. 



One species, inhabiting the warmer parts of Ame- 

 rica, (A. Orbicularis,) has been called the Spinous 

 Toad, from its resemblance to that reptile. The 

 body is large and corpulent, and the tail very short, 

 so that its form is very unlike that of a Lizard. The 

 back part of the head is armed with sharp spines, 

 whence it has been called the Horned Agama; 

 spines are also scattered over the whole body. Its 

 colour is ashy grey, with brown spots ; its length 

 about six inches. 



.Draco, f the Dragon. 



The imagination of the ignorant and unlettered, 

 craving after the marvellous, has, in all ages, de- 

 lighted to create to itself fabulous beings, which it 

 has endowed with powers, forms, and attributes the 



* A negro name. 



j- AX&V, drakon, a fabulous animal of antiquity. 



c 2 



