27^ PHILOSOPHY OF ZOOLOGY. 



of the species swim witli ease, wliile others are capable of 

 flying imperfectly. The toes are armed with claws. 



The jaws of lacertine animals are furnished with teeth, 

 varying in number with the age of the individual. The 

 tongue, in many species, is slender and capable of great ex- 

 tension. The animals prey chiefly on animal food. The 

 auricles are not so large as in testudinai animals, and in 

 some cases the ventricle is more complicated. The lungs 

 are divided by membranaceous plates, into numerous poly- 

 gonal cells. The voice is restricted to a roaring and hissing. 

 The liver, in some genera, is divided into two lobes ; in 

 others it is single. 



The urinary organs differ in this group, chiefly in the 

 presence or absence of a receptacle or bladder of urine. 

 Where present, the ureters terminate directly in a recepta- 

 cle. The urine itself contains a large quantity of uric acid, 

 together with carbonat and phosphat of lime *. 



The female is either oviparous or viA'iparous. The male 

 is furnished with an exsertile penis. Impregnation takes 

 place internally. 



A. Furnished with four feet. 



a. Tongue very long, and capable of being pushed out to 

 a considerable distance. Five toes to eacli foot. 



Skin shagreened. Toes enveloped by the skin. Tongue 

 clavate, hollow above. 



9. Chameleon. Toes divided into two bundles of two 

 and three in eacli. 



The skin is remarkable for the changeability of its co- 

 lours, according to the states of the animal. The eyes are 

 covered with a thick membrane, leaving only a narrow slit 

 opposite the iris ; and each eye is independent in its mf)- 

 tions. This genus contains several species, chiefly distin- 

 guished from one another by the appendices of the head. 



• Phil. Trans. 1818, p. PM. 



