u 



LlZARDS.- 



-REPTILES.- 



-Slender-tosgued Lizards. 



greenish or olive-brown, with a darli brown line down 

 the middle of the back, which is often somewhat iuter- 

 riijited. A broad band extends parallel with this 

 on each side, and in the intervals between these are 

 often one or more rows of black dots. In the male, the 

 nnd.;r part of the body and base of the tail are bright 

 orange spotted with black ; in the female, pale gi-eyish- 

 grcen withont spots. It is a pretty, active, gentle little 

 creature, and is chiefly fonnd in dry, .sunny banks, 

 thickets, and co])ses. In England it i.s very common, 

 much more so than the sand lizard, and is also met with 

 in Ireland. Oil the Continent it is not so abundant, 

 but it e.\ists iu France, Italy, Germany, and Switzer- 

 land. In this latt;:r country, we are told by M. Tschudi, 

 that it freipients in jireference tlie forests of dry pines, 

 m,d<ing its runs under the fallen leaves. To these it 

 retreats on the appearance of danger. lis motions are 

 singularly rapid and sui.lden, and it darts on its insect 

 prey willi the velocity of an arrow. " Its sight," says 

 Mr. Marlin, '• is very acute ; the instant it perceives an 

 enemy it takes refuge in its Imnow. Its hearing 

 ajjpears also to be good. S.jine years since, while in a 

 suudl wood in Lancashire, seated on a felled tree, we 

 saw several of these animals s|)orting within a few 

 yards of us, and chasing their prey. We could not 

 but admire tli^'ir light but graceful actions, and for a 

 considerable time forbore to make either the slightest 

 noise or movement ; suddenly, however, we snajiped a 

 dried branch asunder, and in an instant they had all 

 disa|ipeai'ed ; in a short time, allured by tlie bright 

 sunbeams, they emerged from their retreats, and on 

 repeating the experiment, they again hastened to their 

 burrows as before. The ground was covered with 

 half-decayed loaves, aiul vegetables springing up 

 tln-ough the moss, and it was in vain to endeavour to 

 obtain one ; we tinned over heaps of leaves and grass, 

 but they made their way more quickly than we could 

 follow them. We thought at the time, and have often 

 thought since, of the utility of these little creatures in 

 gardens and greenhouses, insects and larvie being their 

 subsistence." Instead of depositing her eggs in the 

 sand to be hatched by tliL- warmth of the sun, as is the 

 case with the other lizards we have mentioned, the 

 female of the present species retains the eggs within 

 lier body until the young are ready to leave them, and 

 thus they are produced alive. Hence the name given 

 to it of Vii'ipwons Lizard. These young, when brought 

 forth are fully formed, and capable of rmniing about, 

 and very shortly afterwards of taking tliL-ir own food. 

 Their ordinary number is four or five. Tliey are often 

 seen in com]iany with their mother, and are, jirobably, 

 for some time under her immediate guidance, though it 

 is scarcely probable that this contimies lor any consider- 

 able period. 



THE TILIftUERTA, or Grf.Y-wall Liz.\kd [Z. 

 mirulis), is anutlier species of the same genua 

 ZiiMocn, and is the most common Saurian reptile 

 in I' ranee, and in all the temperate parts of Europe. 

 It is from five to six inches long, and inhabits sandy 

 ]ilaces, and frequents the walls of gardens, on which 

 it climbs with a sur|irising degi'ee of agility. It lives 

 on flies, aiits, and other insects. The vivacity of 

 its motions, the grace of its rapid gait, its agreeable 



and slender form, cause it to be very generally remarked. 

 M. Latreille has given such a graphic description ol 

 it that we will quote it at length. " Every one," he 

 says, "knows this lizard ; and there are lew who have 

 not, iu childhood, made it an object of amusement : it 

 is almost domestic ; and its presence is the more desir- 

 able as it tliins the hosts of annoying insects. The 

 ancients called it the ' friend of man.' It is a harmless 

 little creature, and lives in the chinks of walls and old 

 buildings, where it deposits its eggs. AVhen — on fine 

 s|iring days — a bright sunlight illumines a sloping, 

 veidant bank, or a wall which reflects the heat, 

 this lizard may be seen stretching itself on the 

 grass newly springing, or on the stones, as if in the 

 enjoyment of pleasure ; it revels in the grateful warmth, 

 and testifies its satisfaction by gentle movements of 

 its slender tail. It darts like an arrow upon its 

 prey, or into some more connnodious spot ; but so 

 far from flying on the a])proach of man, it appears to 

 regard him w'ith complacency. At the least noise, 

 however, which alarms it, at the falling even of a leaf, 

 it rolls itself up, tumbles down, and remains for a little 

 time as if stunned ; or, it darts oH', is agitated, returns, 

 again conceals itself, reappears, and in an instant 

 describes a maze of tortuous circuits, which the eye 

 can scarcely follow, folds itself up repeatedly, and at 

 last retreats to some hiding-iilace, where it remains till 

 its (ear has subsided." It is so common in the environs 

 of Vienna, that Laurenti declares that it might serve 

 during the entire summer for the sujiport of a great 

 number of poor piu'sons. Its flesh, wholesome, and 

 productive of ap])etite, according to this observer, 

 might be baked or fried, like that of small fishes. 

 Formerly, the properties of this same flesh, were 

 highly vaunted as a remedy against ctitaneous and 

 lymphatic complaints, &c., but its use is altogether 

 abandoned at j)resent lor any medical purposes. 



ROUGH-TOED LIZAUDS.* 



The particular arrangement and form of the scales 

 of the head and belly, &c., of this group of lizards, give 

 them, for the most part, a peculiar physiognomy, which 

 enables the scientific observer to distinguish them veiy 

 readily. Several species are described; little is known 

 of their habits. The greater number are natives of 

 South Africa, and we are indebted to Sir A. Smith for 

 the chief ]iart of what we do know. 



THE CAPE SPINE-FOOT {Acantlmhidiihis Ccqmisis) 

 is a lizard about ten niches in length, the tail forming 

 six of this. It is of a yellowish -brown colour above, 

 the flanks being black-brown, and variegated with 

 two series of spots, and two longitudinal lines of the 

 same colour. The toes are long, slender, and each 

 externally edged with a serrated fringe of slender, 

 pointed scales. "This lizard is found in the sandy 

 districts of Great Namaqua land, and where the siulace 

 of the country is irregular, it is generally met on the 

 highest spots. Where small sand bills occur, it resorts 

 to them in preference to the other localities, and, lioin 

 the peculiar assistance it derives Irom the serrated fringe 

 which edges its toes, it runs over the loose sand, on the 



* The I'ristiJactijka of Dumeril ami Bibron, from the twn 

 Greek words,^jris/is (TgiffTif), a naw, and duktulos (5««TuAof),a tue. 



