SAURIA.. 35 



pursues him with vivacity, and devours, if he over- 

 take him. But sometimes he is able only to seize 

 him by the tail, which breaks easily in his mouth, 

 and which he swallows. Those which have been 

 thus mutilated, grow timid, feeble, and languish- 

 ing."* Mr. Bell records an interesting fact of this 

 species, which shews that the pursuit of its prey is 

 not unattended with danger. He had two specimens 

 of this Anolis in his possession, of which he says, " I 

 was in the habit of feeding them with flies and other 

 insects, and having one day placed in the cage with 

 them a very large Garden Spider, (Epeira Diadema,) 

 one of the Lizards darted at it, but seized it only by 

 the leg. The Spider instantly ran round and round 

 the creature's mouth, weaving a very thick web 

 around both jaws, and then gave it a severe bite in 

 the lip, just as this species of Spider usually does 

 with any large insect which it has taken. The 

 Lizard was greatly distressed, and I removed the 

 Spider, and rubbed off the web, the confinement of 

 which appeared to give it great annoyance ; but in 

 a few days it died, though previously in as perfect 

 health as its companion, which lived for a long -time 

 afterwards." f 



Ascalabotes,% the Gecko. 



The singular form of the Geckos, their dull and 

 melancholy aspect, and their resemblance to the 

 Toads and Salamanders, sufficiently distinguish them, 



* Lacpede. t Brit. Kept. Introd. xx. 



The Greek name of some lizard. 



