JIO.MTORS- 



-REPTILES ■ 



-Lace Lizards. 



" of the middle size, which, together witli its two 

 young ones, I brought home with me from Agter 

 Jiritiiljes-lioogte, was about two feet long in the body, 

 and three in the tail. Having caught her by the neck, 

 so that she could not bite me, and finding that it 

 requiri.'d some strength to hold her fast, I got a large 

 worsted needle, and gave her several punctures with 

 it, not oidy in the heart, but in every part of the 

 cranium which was in contact with the brain. This, 

 however, was so far from answering my purpose, 

 which was to kill her in the most speedy and least 

 jiainful manner, without mangling or mutilating her, 

 that she seemed still to have life enough left to be able to 

 run away. After this my host undertook to ]iut an end 

 tn her ; and after having given her several hard squeezes 

 about the chest, and tied her feet together, he hung her 

 up by the neck in a noose, which he drew as close as he 

 possibly could. From this situation she was found in 

 the space of forty-eight hours to have extricated her- 

 self, though she stOl remained near the farm, appearing 

 at the same time to be almost entirely exhausted. 

 Upon this, we tied her feet close behind her, so that 

 with her long and shaqi claws, of which she had five 

 upon each foot, she could not damage the serpents and 

 other animals which I kept in a cask of brandy, and 

 among which I put her with my own hands, holding 

 her a long time under the surface of the liquor ; yet she 

 was so far from being suffocated immediately by the 

 sti'ength of the liquor, that she flounced about a good 

 deal in it ; and even a quarter of an hour afterwards, 

 convinced us by her motions that she had still some life 

 remaining ui her." " This species of lizard," he con- 

 tinues, " I found to be amphibious, living in water as 

 well as on land, and likewise that it grew to a still 

 greater size; consequently, it appears to be an extremely 

 long-lived animal, and, as well on account of this 

 property, as of that of not being killed without great 

 difficulty, to have an important office assigned it in the 

 general system of the economy of nature. It was sup- 

 posed (and not without foundation) by the people among 

 whom I resided, that this creature might easily be made 

 tame, and that it was not in the least of a malignartt or 

 venomous nature." A large reptile, probahl}' a nearly 

 allied species of this genus, was found on the banks of 

 the Tigris, by the gentlemen engaged with Colonel Sir 

 Henry Rawlinson in excavating the ruined mounds of 

 Babylon. The account given to the writer of this, of 

 the extraordinary tenacity of life exhibited by the 

 unfortunate animal, bordered on the marvellous. After 

 being firmly secured, deep gashes were made right 

 across the spinal column in several places, without 

 destroying or apparently injuring its motive power. A 

 large quantity of strong prussic acid was then poured 

 down its tliroat, but without anv result. It was then 

 l>laced in a large tub of water with a weight attached, 

 so as to keep it sunk to the bottom, and it was allowed 

 to remain there for twenty-four hours. This seemingly 

 having the effect desired, and life appearing at last to 

 be extinct, it was taken out of its watery tomb and laid 

 on the ground, preparatory to its skin being removed 

 in order to make a stufl'ed specimen for the British 

 Museum. No sooner, however, had the operator made 

 his first cut with the scalpel through the skin, than. 

 Vol. II. 



suddenly recovering its suspended animation, and 

 shaking itself loose from his hands, it made with all 

 haste to the river ! 



THE WHITE-THROATED MONITOR {Rrgmia nlhn- 

 gularis) is another aquatic species of this family, which 

 grows to the length of five feet, and is found in South 

 Africa. It is an inhabitant of rocky places abounding 

 in springs and streams, and feeds upon frogs, oralis, 

 and small quadrupeds. It is regarded as sacred by the 

 natives, who assert it cannot be injured without fear of 

 producing a drought. Sir A. Smith met with Uiis 

 reptile in his South African expedition. " Though no 

 specimens of this species," he says, " were obtained 

 South of Lattakoo, yet there is reason to believe that 

 it occurs occasionally within the limits of the Cape 

 Colon}'. It is in all probabilit}' the animal called Dos 

 Adder by the natives, and which is much dreaded, 

 under the idea of its being very venomous. It is 

 usually discovered in rock)' places, or on low, stony, 

 hills ; and when surprised seeks concealment in tlie 

 chinks of the former, or in the irregular Ciivities of the 

 latter. When any inequalities exist upon the surface 

 of the rocks or stones, it clasps them so firmly with i(s 

 toes that it becomes a task of no small dilhculty to dis- 

 lodge it. Under such circumstances, the strengtii of 

 no one man is able to withdraw a full-gi'own indi\ idual ; 

 and I have seen two persons required to pull a s|icci- 

 men out of a position it attained, even by the assistance 

 of a rope round one of its hinder legs. The moment 

 it was dislodged it flew with fury at its enemies, who 

 by flight onlj' saved themselves from being bitten." — 

 The terrestrial Monitors, or those which live exclusively 

 in dry places, are few in number. 



THE OUABAN, or Land Monitor of Egypt 

 [Psammosaurus Scincus), is the best known. This 

 species is about three feet long, and is distinguishoil 

 by its tail being round, without any keel, and con- 

 siderably more slender than that of the Nilotic 

 species, the scales of the greater part of the body 

 being round instead of oval, and the teeth being 

 very small, very fine, and very sharp. Its general 

 colour is of a clear brown, with square spots inter- 

 8perse<I of a pale greenish-yellow. It is a native of 

 the dry and arid deserts of Egypt, and is called by 

 the Arabs, Ottaran el-hard, or Lizard of the Dcseit. 

 Herodotus makes mention of it, and calls it the 

 Terrpstrinl Crociidilc. This species is less voracious 

 than the Monitor of the Nile, and in captivity refi;ses 

 food, and can only be made to take nourishment by 

 forcing it to swallow what is put into its mouth. Tra- 

 vellers in Egypt, however, inform us that it is used by 

 the jugglers of Cairo for performing their tricks, after 

 having extracted its teeth. 



THE GIGANTIC LACE LIZARD {Ifydrn.faunis f/ignn- 

 teus). Two or three remarkable .species of Monitors 

 occur in Australia, known by the name of Lack Liz- 

 ards {Hydrosaurus). They have the nostrils placeii 

 near the apex of the muzzle; their teeth are compressed, 

 sharp-edged, and denticulated ; and their tail lias a 

 double-edged keel on the tipper part. They are very 

 prettily variegated, and one species, the Gigantic Lace 

 Lizard, is remarkably handsome. A specimen may be 

 seen in the Biilish JIuseum seventy-eight inches long. 



