LIZARDS 



179 



along the sides of the head and body, 

 while those peculiar to Eastern Europe 

 and Asia Minor are, in the young con- 

 dition more particularly, marked with 

 longitudinal streaks, but their throat, is 

 never blue. 



The green lizard is one of the 

 most beautiful of its tribe, and, although 

 not indigenous to Great Britain, is com- 

 mon in the Channel Islands. In Jersey, 

 more especially during the summer 

 months, it is one of the most familiar 

 of the " common objects of the country," 

 as it darts in and out of the hedge- 

 rows after flies and other insects, or 

 basks in the bright sunshine on some 

 stone wall, with its emerald-green body 

 flattened out in order to absorb the 



J 



/>* ti H, G. f. Spurrill, EJ ? .] [< 



GREEN LIZARD 



The tail of the green lizard is brittle, and breaks off in the hand if tht 

 animal is held up by it. A neiv tail grows from the fractured joint in count 



greatest possible amount of heat. As " 



the colder autumn days advance this lizard is rarely visible, and it finally retires into some 

 rocky cleft or burrow in the hedge-bank, and is no more seen until the return of spring. 

 Geen lizards, liberated in suitably mild spots in the South of England, have been known to 

 thrive for brief periods, but succumb to the cold of an extra-severe winter. 



The largest representatives of the green lizard are those inhabiting Eastern Europe 

 and Asia Minor, where in size and colour they almost imperceptibly merge into the 

 PEARLY or OCELLATED LIZARD. This very handsome species, which, in company with 

 examples of the green lizard, is frequently imported by London dealers, ranges from 

 1 6 inches to close upon 2 feet in length. In form it is stouter and more robust than 

 a typical green lizard, the head in the old males more particularly being exceptionally 

 massive. Whatever may be lacking in grace of form is, however, fully compensated 



for by brilliancy of colouring, 

 no other lizard, in fact, out- 

 rivalling it in this respect. To 

 the brilliant shagreen- 

 patterned emerald-green hues 

 of the Jersey species it has 

 superadded along its sides 

 eye-like spots of brilliant tur- 

 quoise or ultra-marine, with 

 dark brown or black encir- 

 cling lines. In the males the 

 green ground-colour has a 

 more distinctly golden hue, 

 while in the young indi- 

 viduals the body is more 

 usually olive-colour, dotted 

 throughout with whitish or 

 pearly-blue, black-edged 

 spots. This beautiful lizard 



OCELLATED LIZARDS AT HOME is unfortunately somewhat 



. irascible in temper, and will 



The most brilliantly coloured of hijing li-zards. The body ts bright emerald-green^ decorated 



on the sides -with azure-blue sfots not 3S a rule allow itself tO 



