374 



VERT EB 11 AT A. 



-^^^v, 





i» porfcrtlv liariivU-S'*. Foiiml in Brazil and Surinam. The White Ampiiisb.ena, A. alba, resem- 

 bles the preceilinj,', .•iii<l is loiinii in the same localities. The ^1. coxa, found in Martinique, 

 a|>|»«ars to be entirrly blind. 



Gruns CHIKOTKS: Chimlcs. — This presents only a single species, C. lumbricoides, eisrht 

 incht'H li>n<;. and •"'und in Mexifo. 



Ti r K (t y m^' unrniALMiD^. 



This term, sii^nitVini; naked ci/ci, refers 1<> the fact that the eyes of the family are without eye- 

 lids; the bodv is extremely elongated, and snake-like ; the skin is covered with regular scales ; the 

 mouth wide ; the legs variously developed, some species having four, some two, and some none. The 

 Oyninophthalini have four weak legs; the Pyf/ojii Lave two scale-like legs set far back, and the 

 Aprasiie are entirely destitute of these extremities. These animals are chiefly found iu Aus- 

 tralia, but one or two are found in Eastern I-^UDpe, and one in the West Indies. 



THE SCINCID^. 



The animals t)f this family, of which the Skhik — a species of small lizard — is the type, arc fur- 

 nisht'd with well-formed eyes and distinct eyelids; the limbs are variously developed, some having 

 legs and feet, and others being entirely footless, like snakes and worms. 



Genus AX(JU1S : Amjuis. — This includes the Slow-Worm, A. fra;/ilis, common in all Europe, 



H . , ., sometimes called Blind Wonn 



v\ ! i/i^r0^ ■_ in England, and Long Cripple in 



Cornwall; the French call it 

 Orvet. It appears like a small 

 snake, but its internal structure 

 is that of the lizards. It is 

 twelve to fifteen inches long; 

 feeds on small slugs and earth- 

 worms, even those six or seven 

 inches long. In winter it buries 

 itself imder leaves or loose soil, 

 and remains torpid till spring. 

 It is harmless and timid, and so 

 brittle that if taken by the tail 

 this extremity sepai-ates, and the 

 creature escapes. This brittle- 

 ness is possessed by many lizards. 

 The Glass-Snake, A. ventralis 

 of Linnaeus, Ophisaurus ventralis 

 of Daudin, is included in this 

 genus by many naturalists. It 

 has, in fact, the head of a lizard, 

 with a serpentine body. Its color 

 is yellowish-green above, marked 

 with black spots ; its length about 

 eitrhteen inches ; the skin smooth 

 and shiny. The great peculiarity 

 of this species is, that when struck with a stick it breaks into several pieces, like a fragment of 

 glass. It is perfectly harmless, and is found in the woods of the Southern States. 



Genus SCIXCUS : Scincus, includes the Skixk, S. officinalis, nine inches long ; it has four legs, 

 and runs with great agility, burying itself quickly in the sand when pursued. The ancients attri- 

 buted extraordinary medicinal virtues to this animal, which was salted, dried, and sold in the 

 apothecaries' shops. Found in EgA'pt, Arabia, and Nubia. 



The Blce-tailed Skink, S.fasciatus — sometimes called the Striped Lizard — ^is six to eight 



THE SLOW-WOUM AND ITS TOCXQ. 



