WHITE-THROATED REGENIA Regtnia aj^ul&rit. 



families, namely the Trigonophidse and the Lepidosternidae, may easily be distinguished oy 

 the fact that in the former the teeth are set in the margin of the jaws instead of on their 

 inner side as in the other families, and that in the latter, the scales on the chest are larger 

 and of different shapes, whereas in the other two families they are all squared. Moreover 

 the pores under the abdomen are absent. 



WE now leave the shielded reptiles and proceed to the Scaled Lizards. These 

 creatures for ma very large and important group, and may be distinguished from the 

 previous section by the covering of the body, which is formed of scales either granular or 

 overlapping each other, instead of the straight-edged plates which cover the bodies of the 

 tortoise and crocodiles. The tongue of these animals is rather long, nicked at the tip, and 

 often capable of extension. The young are produced from eggs, sometimes hatched before 

 being deposited, but generally after they have been laid in some suitable spot. The eggs 

 are covered with a rather soft, leathery shell. 



The true LIZAEDS have four limbs, generally visible, but in a few instances hidden 

 under the skin. Their body is long and rounded, and the tail is tapering and mostly 

 covered with scales set in regular circles or " whorls." The mouth cannot be dilated as 

 in the snakes, because the under jawbones are firmly united in front instead of being 

 separable as in the serpents. The ear has a very singular appearance, the drum or 

 " tympanum " being mostly distinct and exposed. 



There are twenty-four families of true Lizards, and passing by several anatomical and 

 structural distinctions, which will be found at the end of the volume, we will proceed at 

 once to the first family, called the MONITORS. In all these creatures the head is covered 

 with very little, many-sided scales ; the tongue is long, slender, and capable of being 

 withdrawn into a sheath at its base ; the scales are small, rounded, and arranged in cross 

 rings, those of the side resembling those of the back ; the legs are four in number, and 

 each foot has five toes. They are all inhabitants of the Old World, and are seldom if ever 

 found far from water. 



OUR first example is the WHITE-THROATED EEGENIA, or WHITE-THROATED VARAN, a 

 remarkably fine and powerful species of Lizard, inhabiting Southern Africa. A rather 

 full and accurate description of this Lizard is given by Dr. Smith. 



