Hillside. 177 



The lizard pounces upon it, and shakes it somewhat as a 

 terrier does a rat, then proceeds leisurely to eat it. 



Now let us capture it ! Quietly and gently we creep 

 towards it, and rapidly place a hand over it. Carefully it 

 is picked up, but notwithstanding all our care, the little 

 creature's tail snaps off as soon as we handle it, and it 

 wriggles tailless out of the hand, and gets away again. 

 Another tail will soon grow in its place, and specimens are 

 occasionally captured which appear to have been actually 

 provided by Nature with two caudal appendages. 



Young lizards abound on this bank, and very lively littl 

 things they are. They are usually born in the hottest par 

 of the year, and, as in the case of some other reptiles, th 

 eggs are matured in the body of the parent. The youn 

 ones, however, do not escape from the egg-shell until th 

 time of birth, although the general opinion prevails that th 

 lizard is a viviparous reptile. The young lizard is darke 

 in colour, and altogether smaller and more clumsy than th 

 adult, but otherwise there is very little difference betwee 

 them in general appearance. 



Like most reptiles the lizard occasionally changes its skin 

 but this is not done so cleanly and perfectly as is usuall 

 the case with allied animals. In fact, the skin appears t 

 be shed piecemeal, instead of leaving the body in an entir 

 mass. 



On the approach of winter the lizard prepares to hyber 

 nate. Selecting some well-protected hole it crawls into it, 

 and soon passes into an entirely torpid and lethargic con- 

 dition, in which state it remains until the warmth of early 

 spring revivifies and re-animates the little creature. 



In common with almost everything reptilian, the common 



N 



