52 THE CHIROCOLE. 



are wanting in true serpents, the tongue not sheathed at the base, and the solid jawbones, 

 which in the serpents are so loosely put together that the parts become widely separated 

 when the mouth of the creature is dilated in the act of swallowing its prey. 



The Glass Snake is one of the earliest of the reptile tribe to make its appearance in the 

 spring, shaking off its lethargy and coming out of its home to bask in the sunbeams and 

 look after the early insects, long before the true snakes show themselves. It is generally 

 found in spots where vegetation is abundant, probably because in such localities it finds a 

 plentiful supply of the insects, small reptiles, and other creatures on which it feeds. 



It is fond of frequenting the plantations of sweet potato ( Convolvulus batatas), and 

 during harvest-time is often dug up together with that vegetable. The home of this 

 reptile is made in some very dry locality, and it generally chooses some spot where it can 

 be sheltered by the roots of an old tree, or a crevice in a convenient bank. It moves with 

 tolerable rapidity, and its pursuer must exercise considerable quickness before he can 

 secure it. 



To catch a perfect specimen of the Glass Snake is a very difficult business, for when 

 alarmed, it has a remarkable habit of contracting the muscles of its tail with such exceeding 

 force that the member snaps off from the body at a slight touch, and sometimes will break 

 into two or more pieces if struck slightly with a switch, thus earning for itself the 

 appropriate title of Glass Snake. Our common blindworm, which will be described in a 

 future page, possesses a similar capacity, and often uses it in a rather perplexing fashion. 

 Catesby remarks that this separation of the tail into fragments is caused by the construction 

 of the joints, "the muscles being articulated in a singular manner quite through the 

 vertebrae." The tail is more than twice the length of the body, from which it can only be 

 distinguished by a rather close inspection. 



The head of the Glass Snake is small in proportion to the body, rather pyramidal in 

 shape. Along each side of the body runs a rather deep d uble groove. The colouring of 

 this creature is extremely variable, but is generally as follows : The head is mottled above 

 and at the sides with black and green, and the jaws are edged with yellow. The upper 

 part of the body is marked with multitudinous lines of black, green, and yellow, and the 

 abdomen is bright yellow along its length. In the tail there are about one hundred and 

 forty rings of scales. Sometimes the upper surface is black on the sides and neck, and 

 brown on the back, the head being marbled with yellow and black ; another variety is 

 chestnut above, with white spots edged with black, and the under parts pale orange ; while 

 a third variety is grey mottled with black. The total length of this reptile is from two to 

 three feet. 



FOUK small families now follow, containing but very few individuals. The first of these 

 is called the CHALCID^E. These reptiles have long cylindrical bodies, with a slight granular 

 groove on the front of each side, and four very short rudimentary limbs. The typical 

 species of this family is the CHALCJS ( Chalets flavescens), a native of tropical America, 

 Guiana, and the neighbouring parts. The fore feet have three toes, but the hind feet are 

 undivided, so as to form a single toe. The scales are squared, and arranged in twenty 

 longitudinal series on the back, and six series on the abdomen. 



THE next family, the ANADIAD^E, contains, as far as is known, only one species, the 

 EYED ANADIA (Anadia ocellata), thought to inhabit tropical America. In this creature 

 the lower eyelids are pellucid, the scales of the back and sides six-sided and not over- 

 lapping each other, while those of the abdomen are squared. The limbs are four in 

 number, and there are five unequal and rather flattened toes on each foot. The colour of 

 this species is pale brown, with a bronze gloss, deepening on the sides and having some 

 white spots edged with black towards the front. Beneath it is shining white. 



IN the family of the CHIEOCOLID^E there is likewise only one species, called the 

 CHIKOCOLE (Heterodactylus imbricatus), a native of Brazil. This creature has a double 

 collar, and the ears are hidden beneath the skin. The scales of the back, the sides and the 

 tail, are six-sided, rather sharp, arranged in regular rings, and furnished with keels. Those 



