60 THE NIMBLE LIZARD. 



seeks a more secure retreat with equal rapidity. 

 On the least noise it turns suddenly round, falls 

 down, and seems, for some moments, perfectly stu- 

 pified by its fall : or else it suddenly shoots away 

 among the bushes or thick grass, and disappears. 

 Its wonderful rapidity of motion is chiefly to be 

 observed in warm countries, for in the temperate 

 regions its evolutions are much more languid. 



This gentle and peaceful animal excites no sen- 

 sations of terror j and, when taken into the hand, 

 makes not the smallest attempt to bite or offend. 

 In some countries children use it as a play-thing; 

 and, in consequence of its natural gentleness of 

 disposition, it becomes, in a great measure, tame 

 and familiar. 



The tail is nearly twice the length of the body, 

 and tapers from the root to the extremity, where it 

 ends in a sharp point. This, from the weakness of 

 the vertebrae, is so brittle as often to snap off on 

 the least roughness in handling. In this case it is 

 sometimes reproduced. When the tail has been 

 split or divided lengthways, it has been known that 

 each of the portions, in healing, has rounded itself, 

 and thus the animal has had a double tail. One of 

 these has contained the vertebra?, and the other 

 only a kind of tendon in the centre. 



For the purpose of seizing the insects on which 

 it feeds, this Lizard darts out, with astonishing 

 velocity, its large forked tongue. This is of a red- 

 dish colour, and beset with asperities that are 

 scarcely sensible to the sight, but which assist very 

 materially in catching its winged prey. — Like most 



