THE COMMON ZONURUS. 45 



It is chiefly remarkable for the great length and slenderness of its tail, which meas- 

 ures five and a half inches in length, although the head and body together are only two 

 inches long. The color of the back and upper parts is delicate brown mottled with a 

 deeper hue, and along the back are drawn four narrow lines of light reddish orange. 

 The sides are cream-yellow, the upper portions of the legs are olive-brown, and the un- 

 der surface of the animal is yellowish white. There is a trifling variation in the color- 

 ing according to the age of the individual. Thirteen or fourteen species of this genus 

 are known to zoologists, most of them being natives of Africa. 



OUR last example of the true Lizards or Lacertinidas is the curious little creature 

 termed the ELEGANT OPHIOPS. Two species are known as belonging to this genus, and 

 they can at once be separated from the true Lizards by the character of the eyelids, 

 which are only rudimentary and hardly visible, so as to have gained for their owners the 

 generic title of Ophiops, or Serpent-eyed Lizards. 



The Elegant Ophiops inhabits the south-eastern portions of Europe, and the neigh- 

 boring parts of Asia. The shores of the Mediterranean appear to be favorite localities 

 of the Ophiops, and in those places it is not at all uncommon. It is lively and active 

 in character, and, like the rest of the same family, feeds on insects, which it catches by 

 suddenly springing on them as they repose from their aerial excursions or crawl along 



NAM AQUA EREMIAS. Ere tn las Namaqueosls. 



the ground. Like most Lizards, it is rather variable in coloring, but the general tints 

 are as follows. The back and upper parts are olive, sometimes deepening into bronze. 

 Along each side run two bands of pale yellow, and between the bands are sundry black 

 spots, also arranged in lines, but varying in form, size, and number according to the age 

 of the individual. The under parts are white. 



Quitting the true Lizards, we come to another family of reptiles, called the Zonuridae, 

 or Band-tailed Lizards, because the scales of the tail are arranged in regular series or 

 rings, and by their overlapping cause the edges to stand out boldly in whorls. Along 

 the sides of these reptiles runs a distinct longitudinal fold, covered with little granular 

 scales, and the eyes are furnished with two valvular lids. 



The COMMON ZONURUS, or ROUGH-SCALED CORDYLE, is a native of Southern Africa, 

 and very plentiful at the Cape, where it may be seen among the rocks or in sunny 

 localities flitting from spot to spot with some speed, though not exhibiting the singular 

 activity which is possessed by many of the smaller Lizards. It is chiefly remarkable for 

 the curious aspect of the tail, with its whorls of spike-tipped scales, which looks as if 



