THE FAN-FOOT. 71 



The last family of the sub-order Leptoglossse, or Slender-tongued Lizards, is the group of 

 reptiles tei-med the Rough-tailpd Lizards, or Uropeltid^e. In these Lizards the head is rather 

 compressed, flat above, aud sharp towards the muzzle. The eyes are of modei-ate size, and 

 without eyelids, a bony scale answering the purpose. The body is cylindrical, and covered 

 with regular, six-sided scales, sometimes ridged, but mostly smooth. The tail is also cylin- 

 drical, and abruptly terminated, as if cut off obliquely. There are no external limbs, and by 

 most systematic naturalists the Rough-tails have been placed among the serpents, which they 

 very closely resemble, except in the arrangement of certain scales, and the short, abruptly 

 truncated tail. 



The Rough-tailed Lizards are divided into three genera, separated from each other by the 

 formation of the scales that cover the tail. While moving, the Rough-tails aid themselves by 

 pressing the truncated tail against the ground. As a tyjiical species, we may select the Philip- 

 pine Shield-tail {Uroptltls phiUpptnus)^ a reptUe which, as its name imports, inhabits the 

 Philippine Islands. In this creature the tail is rather flattened, and covered above with a 

 curious "flat, roundish, radiating, granular shield." On the lower side of the tail the scales 

 are arranged in six rows. The color of the Philippine Shield -tail is brown above and white 

 beneath, the line of demarcation being very distinct, and regularly waved. 



THICK-TONGUED LIZARDS; PACHYGLOSSyE. 



A NEW sub-order now comes before our notice, the members of which are distinguished by 

 the formation of theii* tongues, which, instead of being flat and comparatively slender, as in 

 the preceding Lizards, are thick, convex, and have a slight nick at the end. On account of 

 this structure, the species of this sub-order are termed Pachygloss.^, or Thick-tongued 

 Lizards. 



These reptiles are divided into sundry groups, the first of which is termed the Nycti- 

 SAXJRA, or Nocturnal Lizards. These creatures have eyes formed for seeing in the dusk, 

 circular eyelids which, however, cannot meet over the eye-ball, and in almost every case the 

 pupil is a long narrow slit like that of the cat. The body is always flattened. The limbs are 

 four in number, tolei'ably powerful, and are used in progression. 



Of these Lizards, the first famUy is the CtECKotid^e, or Geckos, a very curious group of 

 reptiles, common in many hot countries, and looked upon with dread or adoi'ation by the 

 natives, sometimes with both, where the genius of the nation leads them to reverence the 

 object of their fears, and to form no other conception of supreme power than the capability of 

 doing harm. 



The Fan-foot, or House Gecko, is a native of Northern Africa, and is very common in 

 Egypt, and is found, as its name imports, in houses, ti'aversing the floor and walls with aston- 

 ishing address, in search of its food, which consists of worms, insects, and similar creatures. 

 The natives have a very great dread of this creature, asserting that it is extremely poisonous — 

 the poison not being injected by the teeth, but exuding from the lobules of the toes. The 

 generic title Ptyodactylus, or Toe-spitter, is given to the reptile in allusion to this idea. It 

 is said by Hasselquist, that if a Gecko is taken in the hand, the poisonous matter which is 

 immediately shed over the skin from the feet of the captive, causes an instantaneous eruption, 

 similar to that produced by the sting of a nettle. The same traveller proceeds to relate an 

 incident which is hardly so much in accordance with probability, namely, that two women and 

 a girl were lying at the point of death from having eaten some cheese over which one of these 

 reptiles had walked. 



So great is the dread inspired by this creature, that in Cairo it is popularly tei-med Abou- 

 burs, or father of the leprosy. The people fancy that it pui-posely poisons their provisions, 

 and that it is especially fond of communicating the venom to salted meat of all kinds. In 

 former times the Fan-foot was endowed with even greater powers of offence, its teeth being 

 added to its weapons, and asserted to be capable of leaving their impression even on steel. 



