LACERTA. 



ported to be easily digestible, delicate, 

 and well flavoured. They will keep un- 

 der water for nearly an hour ; when they 

 swim, their feet are kept close to their 

 bodies, and they appear to produce and 

 regulate their motions merely by their 

 tails. Whatever they eat they swallow 

 whole. They have been kept without 

 food a very considerable time. Their 

 colour is much affected by the state of 

 the weather, or the dampness or dryness 

 of their habitation. They may be easily 

 tamed if taken young 1 . 



L basiliscus, or the basilisk, is particu- 

 larly distinguished by a broad wing-like 

 process, elevated along the whole length 

 of its back, somewhat similar to the fins 

 of fishes, and which is capable, at the 

 pleasure of the animal, of being extended 

 or contracted It lives almost solely in 

 trees, feeding upon insects, and though 

 somewhat terrific in appearance, is as 

 harmless as any of the lizard tribe. It is 

 found most frequently in South America, 

 generally about a foot and a half long, 

 swims with g; eat ease, and moving among 

 the branches of the trees wiih extreme 

 agility, sometimes apparently with a short 

 flight, which is aided by the remarkable 

 process above mentioned, on its back. 

 The basilisk of antiquity, whose bite was 

 supposed to be moie speedily mortal than 

 that of any other creature, and whose 

 look even carried destruction with it, is 

 to be ranked with the Sabulous monsters, 

 which, in the- prevailing ignorance of na- 

 ture that attended those times, were am- 

 ply supplied by a poetic imagination, 

 bee Amphibia, Plate I fig 3. 



L. monitor, or the black lifcard, mea- 

 sures frequently four and sometimes five 

 feet, being one of the largest as well as 

 the most elegant of the tribe. It is found 

 principally in woody and moist situations 

 in South America, and is reported to give 

 indications of attachment and gratitude 

 to those by whom it has been fed, and fa- 

 nViliarUed to be as mild in its manners and 

 temper as it is elegant in its form. 



L. agilis, or the green lizard, is abun- 

 dant in all the warmer latitudes of Europe, 

 sometimes attaining the length of more 

 than two feet, but in general not exceed- 

 ing one. Its colouring is more be. autifr.l 

 than that of any of its tribe in this quarter 

 of the world. About the southern walls 

 of gardens, it is particularly seen pursu- 

 ing insects wiih great alertness and Dex- 

 terity, anil both in attack and escape its 

 agility is truly admirable. It may to a 

 certain degree be tamed and familiarised, 

 and in this state is by many considered 



not only as a perfectly harmless, but as a 

 favourite animal. 



L. chameleon, the chameleon, is gene- 

 rally of the length of ten inches without 

 the tail, which is equally long. Its food 

 consists of insects, which it procures by 

 protruding the tip of its tubular and 

 lengthened tongue with inconceivable ce- 

 lerity, and never failing to retract with it 

 the prey at which it was darted. In In- 

 dia and Africa, and various other parts of 

 the world, these animals are found in 

 great abundance. They are perfectly in- 

 offensive, and can endure a long absti- 

 nence, from which latter circumstance the 

 idea of their living upon air alone, may 

 not unnaturally have been derived They 

 occasionally retain the air in their lung's 

 for a very considerable time, and thus as- 

 sume an appearance of fulness and rlesiii- 

 ness, which is in perfect contrast to that 

 which they will suddenly exhibit, in con- 

 sequence of the total expulsion of the air 

 from the lungs, during which they are 

 collapsed and seemingly emaciated. A. 

 change of colour is sometimes observed 

 in many of the lizard tribe, but particu- 

 larly so in the chameleon ; but the long 

 prevailing idea of the adaptation of its 

 colour to that of any substance with which 

 it is surrounded is totally groundless. Its 

 varieties in this respect appear to extend 

 (in consequence, principally, of varied 

 health or temperature) from its natural 

 green-gray into very pale yellow, with ir- 

 regular patches of red. When exposed 

 to the sun, considerable changes in the 

 shading and patching of its colours are 

 observable ; and when, after being wrap- 

 ped in white linen by some members of 

 the French Academy, it reappeared within 

 two or three minutes, it partook some- 

 what, but very far from completely, of the 

 colour of it. On being folded up in sub- 

 stances of various other different colours, 

 it borrowed neither of them, and exhibit- 

 ed no interesting change. The move- 

 ments of the chameleon are extremely 

 slow, and in passing from branch to 

 branch its tail is coiled for security round 

 one till its feet have been extended to the 

 other. 



L. salamandra, or the salamander, is of 

 a deep brilliant black colour, varied wiih 

 irregular patches of bright yellow. It is 

 found in various parts of France, Germa- 

 ny, and Italy, abounding particularly in 

 moist and woody situations, and making 

 its appearance chiefly during rain. In 

 winter it secludes itself in clefts, or hollow 

 trees. It is about seven inches long, 

 lives principally upon insects and snails, 



