CLASS REPTILIA, THE REPTILES. 



CHAPTER III. 

 ORDER SAURIA, OR LACERTILIA. THE LIZARDS. 



THE LIZARDS Characters of the Reptiles of the Order THE FISSIL1NGUES -THE SAND LIZARD Prof. Bell'a 

 Description THE COMMON LIZARD Habits Young Produced Alive Characters of the Lizard Distinctions between 

 Crocodile, Lizard, and Snake, illustrated by Comparison of the Skull (foot note) Other Species of Lacerta 

 Peculiarity of the Tail of many Lizards Teeth of Saurians A "Pleurodont" Jaw An "Acrodont" Jaw THE 

 AMEIVID*: Characters -THE COMMON TEGUEXIN Habits THE COMMON AMEIVA THE WATER LIZARDS De- 

 scription Why called Monitors THE NILE MONITOR THB SAND MONITOR, OR VARANUS Other Kinds of Varanus 

 The Common Indian Water Lizard The Ocellated Water Lizard The Heloderma THE CRASSILINGUES 

 Characters THE IGUANAS THE GREEN IGUANA Description Habits Character of the Vertebrae Dentition Pleuro- 

 dont THE BASILISK Appearance THE AMBLYRHYNCHUS CRISTATUS Darwin's Account of this Sea Lizard The Ter- 

 restrial Species of this Genus FLYING LIZARDS Characters Their Apparatus for Locomotion Habits Boauty of 

 their Colouring THE FRILLED LIZARD Description The Frill THE TERRESTRIAL AGAMID.E OF THE OLD WORLD AND 

 AUSTRALIA The Genus Uromastix The Dabb, or Dhobb The Thorn-devil, or Horrible Moloch The Genus Stellio 

 The Toad Lizards THE GECKO FAMILY Appearance Habits Their Toes and Fingers Characters Colouring Eyes 

 Tongue Origin of their Name Pleurodont Teeth The Various Species The Flying Gecko RHYNCHO- 

 CEPHALA, THE BEAKED LIZARDS THE TUATERA, OR HATTERIA, OR THE SPHENODON LIZARD Giinther's 

 Description of its Anatomy THE VERMILINGUES, THE CHAMELEONS Appearance Curious Tongue- 

 Remarkable Lungs Distribution Colouring The Genus Rhampholeon The South African Kind Changing of the 

 Colour of the Chameleon's Skin THE AMPHISBJENOIDA The White Amphisbaena THE BREVILINGUES 

 Characters SCINCOID.E THE COMMON SKINK Habits The Stump-tailed Lizard THE BLIND-WORM, OR SLOW-WORM 

 Description THE JAVELIN SNAKE THE ZONURID^E Character The Gigantic Cordylus The European Pseudopus 

 American Glass Snake Classification of the Order Sauria. 



THE reptiles included in this order are very numerous, and present much diversity of shape and 

 habits. Some resemble the Crocodiles, but have neither their bony plate armour nor their socket- 

 implanted teeth. Others are after the type of the Common Lizard, and the rest are more or less 

 limbless, and in some the shape of the Serpent is recognised. But all have a more or less perfect 

 shoulder-girdle and sternum, and usually, but not invariably, four limbs are present. Their throat is 

 not extensible, and the jaws cannot separate as in the Serpents. Many have glands with pore-like 

 openings on the thighs. 



There are many groups of these reptiles, which are subdivided into families. The long-bodied, 

 short-limbed, scaly, long tailed Lizards of England may be considered first of all, as their shape is 

 familiar to everybody. They belong to THE SUB-ORDER FISSILLNGUES, THE SPLIT- 

 TONGUED LIZARDS, characterised by having a long, slender, protractile, forked tongue, the 

 teeth pleurodont * in arrangement, a free tympanic membrane, and procoelous vertebrae. 



THE SAND LIZARD.f GENUS LACERTA, 



This English species of Lizard received especial attention from Professor Bell, who writes, in his 

 " History of British Reptiles " : " This beautiful species is found in the neighbourhood of Poole, in 

 Dorsetshire, in somewhat different situations. Its general abode is on sandy heaths, where it is fre- 

 quently seen crossing the small by-paths with considerable swiftness, although it is certainly less 

 rapid in its movements than the next and more common species. But it is occasionally seen on the 

 sunny sides of green banks basking in the sun's rays, and retreating rapidly on the approach of any 

 intruder." It is occasionally seen near wet ground. It is a very timid and wild little thing, and 

 Bell states that it will bite if handled, and that it pines and dies in captivity. It is a northern kind, 

 rarely occurring so far south as Italy, but it is common in the northern parts of France and the 

 central parts of Europe, extending as far north as Denmark and Sweden. In its form, this kind is 

 thick and rounded in the body, the limbs are strong and short, and the head is obtuse. 



The third and fourth toes of the foot are of equal length. On the head, which is plated, the 

 eyelids have a series of very minute scales. The scales of the upper part of the body are round or 

 polygonal, and slightly keeled. The abdominal plates are in six rows, the middle series being 

 narrower than the adjoining ones. The throat has a distinct collar of scales. 



The femoral pores vary from eight to eighteen on each side. The tail is covered with numerous 

 distinct whorls of scales, fifty to eighty in number, and the total length of the Lizard is seven 

 inches two lines, that of the tail being four inches. It has teeth on the palate. 

 * See page 275. t Lacerta agilis (Linn.). 



