38 ON THE GEOGRAPHY OF ANIMALS. 
once fortunate in discovering one of these disgusting in- 
sects crawling under the pillow of the bed: having lost 
the specimen, we can only give a copy of the original 
drawing, exhibiting the natural size (fig. 4.). The silk- 
worm of the south of Europe is too well known to re- 
quire further notice. 
(52.) The European reptiles are fortunately few. Li- 
zards, so rarely seen in the temperate latitudes of Europe, 
abound in the south of Italy, and still more so in Sicily 
and Malta, where the gecko, or house lizards, are fre- 
quently seen, upon a gloomy day, running along the 
ceiling of old dwelling-rooms. ‘The viper is the only 
venomous serpent here found, and there are some few 
others scattered in the different temperate latitudes. The 
freshwater tortoises, on 
the other hand, are only 
to be found in the south 
of Italy, where they are 
scarce; and in Greece, 
where we observed them 
very common. The spe- 
cies of turtle found in 
the Mediterranean is that 
which is usually described by authors as the logger-head 
of the West Indies ; and, in support of this opinion, they 
quote the figure given by Gottwold (jfig.5.). Unfortu- 
nately, we neglected to investigate this question on the 
spot; but we can vouch for the excellency of this species 
when dressed, for its flavour is fully equal to that of the 
ereen turtle: the flesh of the logger-head, on the con-~ 
trary, is described as quite unpalatable. 
(53.) The fish of Southern Europe form one of its 
most characteristic zoological distinctions. Of those inha- 
biting the seas of Spain and Portugal, very little is known ; 
but upon entering the Mediterranean, a large accession 
of peculiar and very beautiful species appear. ‘The enor- 
mous shoals of anchovies ( fig.6.), in an economic point of 
view, are very important— annually employing in their 
capture and preparation a great number of men. ‘The 
