72 



THE SPOTTED GECKO, OR SPOTTED HEMIDACTTLE. 



though in point of fact, tlie jaws of the Geckos are rather feeble, and their teeth very sroall, 

 and hardly able to i:)ierce even the human skin. 



The Geckos are indebted for their power of traversing perpendicular walls to the forma- 

 tion of their feet, which, although greatly varied in the different genera, have the same 



essential qualities in all. In 

 this genus the toes are ex- 

 jpanded at theLi- extremities, 

 into a roimd disc, and fur- 

 nished with claws which are 

 sheathed in a notch cut in 

 the front of the disc. The 

 color of the Fan-foot is red- 

 dish brown spotted \\\\\\ white. 



The Common Gecko, or 

 Ringed Gecko, is an Asiatic 



species, being as common 



m 



India as the preceding species 

 in North Africa. It may be 

 easily known from the Fan- 

 foot by the large tubercles 

 upon the back. 



This reptile has much the 

 same habits as the Fan -foot, 

 and possesses equally the 

 ability to I'un over a perpen- 

 dicular waU. During the 

 day-time it conceals itself 

 in some chink or dark crev- 

 ice, but in the evening it 

 leaves its retreat, moving 

 raj^idly and with such per- 

 fectly silent tread that the 

 ignorant natives may well 

 be excused for classing it 

 among supernatural beings. 

 The Gecko occasionally utters a curious cry, which has been compared to that peculiar 

 clucking sound employed by riders to stimulate their horses, and in some species the cry 

 is very distinct and said to resemble the word Geck-o, the last syllable being given smartly 

 and sharply. On account of this cry, the Geckos are variously called, Spitters, Postilions, 

 and Claqueurs. 



During the cold months of the year the Geckos retire to winter quarters, and are thought 

 to retain their condition during this foodless season by means of two fatty masses at the 

 base of the abdomen, which are supposed to nourish them as the camel is noui-ished by the 

 hunii). Tlie male is smaller than the female, and the eggs are very spherical, a,nd covered 

 with a brittle chalky shell. The color of the Gecko is reddish gray with white spots. The 

 scales of the back are flat and smooth, and there is also a series of rather large tubercular 

 projections arranged in twelve rather distinct rows. 



W/rKKMCKCT I 



FAl^VOOT.—Ptyodactijlus gecko. 



Closely allied to these two reptiles is the Spotted Gecko, or Spotted Hemidactyle, a 

 rather pretty species of Gecko found in various parts of Asia, and tolerably common in India, 

 China and Ceylon. Sir Emerson Tennent, in his valuable work on Ceylon, gives a very 

 interesting account of this little creature, and relates two curious anecdotes, exliibiting the 

 readiness with which even a Gecko can be tamed by kind treatment. 



