18 



Lizards. - 



-RErTILES.- 



-Slender-Toxgued Lizards. 



or of ii rouuded form gradually attenuating to the tail, 

 which is of a very elongate conical form, being, at the 

 base, about the same size as the inferior portion of the 

 body, and with difiiculty distinguishable from it. The 

 Bcales with wliich the body and limbs are covered, are 

 usually smooth and polished on the surface, so that 

 most of these animals can glide along the ground, and 

 are able easily to insinuate themselves into small holes. 

 Their mode of progression is a creeping sort of motion, 

 the body possessing a sinuous and undulating move- 

 ment like that of serpents. The species are widely 

 diffused. They occur not only in the most arid dis- 

 tricts of temperate regions, and in climates the tem- 

 perature of which is always high, but extend even 

 to countries wliere the temperature woidd apparently 

 not permit the existence of reptiles ; the Blind worm 

 {Angtds frarjilis), for instance, being found as far 

 north as Sweden. They are most abundant, however, 

 in the islands of the Pacilic, and in Australia. From 

 the shortness of their jaws they cannot open their mouth 

 wide, and, as their teeth are very slender, they seem 

 able only to catch insects or very small animals. 



The family of Scinks may be divided into two 

 groups ; first, those which have the scales of the body 

 smooth, not striated nor keeled ; and second, those in 

 which the scales are thick, bony, rugose, striated, or 

 one or more keeled. 



The genus Scin'Cus belongs to the first division — 

 the smooth scales ; and as now restricted, contains only 

 one species^ 



THE OFFICINAL, or COMMON SciNK or the Scink of 

 the shops [Scincus officinalis) — Plate 1, figs. 5, 6, and 

 Plate 8, fig. 10— is a small lizard about six or eight 

 inches in length, and is subject to considerable variation 

 in its colouring. Its upper parts are usually yellow, or 

 of a silvery gray, mingled with brown and black in 

 transverse bands ; the under parts are- generally of a 

 silvery white. It is a native of Syria, Egypt, Nubia, 

 Abyssinia, and Arabia ; and is also found in Senegal. 

 It has been frequently mentioned by travellers, and its 

 history is rather curious. Hasselquist in his journey 

 to tlie Levant met with it. " This animal is found," 

 he says, "in Arabia Petrfea, near the Red Sea, and in 

 Upper Egypt on the banks of the Nile. The people of 

 the East employ it as an aphrodisiac ; but the Europeans 

 do not care to imitate them. Its flesh is given in the 

 form of powder in some irritating vehicle, and the 

 Arabians even make broth of its flesh." Bruce in his 

 travels through Abyssinia, describes it at some length. 

 " It is a native," he says, " of Atbara beyond the rains, 

 in that situation where we have said the island and 

 city of Meroe formerly were. Tliis lizard is called 

 El-adda. It burrows in the sand, and performs this 

 operation so quickly, that it is out of sight in an instant, 

 and appears rather to have found a hole than to have 

 made one, yet it comes out often in the heat of the 

 day, and basks itself in the sun; and if not very much 

 frightened, will take refuge behind stones, or in the 

 ■withered ragged roots of the absinthimn, dried in the 

 Bun to nearly its own colour." " Almost the whole of 

 this large tribe of lizards, is by the Arabians, described 

 as poisonous. The El-adda is one of the few which 

 the Arabs in all times have believed to be free of 



poisonous qualities, and yet to have all the medicinal 

 virtues that they have so abundantly lavished upon 

 the more noxious species. Though its legs are very 

 long, it docs not make use of them to stand upright, 

 but creeps with its belly almost close to the groiuid. 

 It runs, however, with very groat velocity. Its 

 tail is perfectly round, is exceedingly sharp-pointed, 

 and very easily broke. Its jaws have a number of 

 short, fine, but very feeble teeth, and when holding 

 it in my hand, though it struggled violently to gi^t 

 loose, it never attempted to make use of its teeth ; 

 indeed, it seems to turn its neck with great dilTieully." 

 A later traveller confirms this account of Bruce in 

 several of his minute details. M. A. Lefebnre, we are 

 told by Dumeril and Bibron, found the Scink in 

 abundance in the oasis of Bahrieh, living on the little 

 mounds of fine light sand which the south wind accumu- 

 lates at the foot of the hedges which inclose the culti- 

 vated grounds, and around the roots of the tamarisk 

 trees which grow on the confines of the desert. There 

 he saw it quietly basking in tlie hottest rays of the sun, 

 and occasionally giving chase to beetles and other 

 insects which came near it. It runs with considerable 

 swiftness, and when threatened or frightened it buries 

 itself in the sand with singular rapidity, digging in a 

 few instants a burrow several feet in depth. When 

 caught it struggles to escape, but never attempts to bile 

 or defend itself with its claws. It was for its great 

 reputed medicinal virtues, however, that the Scink was 

 formerl}' best known. 



THE MABOUYAS {Malouin) of the West Indies, are 

 particularly mentioned by Sloane in his "History of 

 Jamaica," as small animals, with a very dark appear- 

 ance. Hence the name of Mabouj-a given to them by 

 the natives of North America — that word meaning 

 anything which inspires disgust or horror. They 

 climb upon trees, and the roofs and rafters of the huts 

 of the Indians and negroes. In general they live in 

 the crevices and holes of rotten trees, but during the 

 heat of the day they come out to bask in tlie rays of 

 the sun. They seem very sensitive to wet, for at the 

 approach of rain they make a great noise and leave 

 their positions. The natives dread them as poisonous, 

 but there is no proof of their being so. 



THE NIMBLE MABOUYA [Mahouia arjilis), one of 

 the species has been well described by Mr. Oosse. '' In 

 the parts of Jamaica with which I am familiar," lie 

 says, " this pretty, active little Scink is abundant. It 

 is most numerous in the lowlands, and on the gentle 

 sloping hills of moderate elevation that form the charac- 

 teristic feature of the southern side of that beautiful 

 island. The fences there are largely composed of 

 ' dry wall,' built of rough, unhewn stones, without 

 cement. On these walls the Mabonya may be seen 

 crawling, and often Ij'ing quite still in the sunshine ; 

 when alarmed, it darts with lightning-like rapidity into 

 one of the crevices which abound in all parts of such a 

 structure. Indeed, it rarely ventures far from some 

 refuge of this kind, and I presume that the facilities for 

 instant retreat aSbrded by these pervious walls are the 

 chief cause of its preference for them. It is scarcely 

 ever seen on the ground, except wdien avoiding danger, 

 nor on the trunk or branches of trees or shrubs j but 



