ORDER SAURIA. 207 



characters, rather more complete than what is to be found in 

 the text. 



The tongue is slender, extensible, and terminated by two 

 long threads ; the palate is armed with two ranges of teeth. 

 There is a collar imder the neck, formed by a transverse 

 range of broad scales, separated from those of the belly, where 

 there are only some small ones, as under the throat. The 

 body is elongated, and wingless. No goitre ; all the feet 

 are furnished with five toes armed with claws, not opposable ; 

 separated, rounded, and unequal. Scales disposed by parallel 

 and transverse bands under the belly, and around the tail, 

 which is at least as long as the body, thick, cylindrical, 

 and without crest or keel above. The anus is a transverse 

 cleft. Part of the bones of the cranium advance over the 

 temples and the orbits, so that all the upper part of the head 

 is provided with an osseous buckler, or covered with large 

 scales. The tympanum is on a level with the head, and 

 membranous. The eyelid is of a single piece, cut longi- 

 tudinally, and formed by a sphincter. Under each thigh is a 

 range of small grains or tubercles formed of scales, rough 

 to the touch and porous. There are transverse plates under the 

 belly. The scales are carinated, but not imbricated, on the back. 

 The lizards are thus easily distinguished from the other 

 saurians — from the tachydromi, which have not a range of 

 pores under each thigh ; from the cameleons, whose toes are 

 opposable ; from the anolis and gecJws, which have the toes 

 flat underneath ; from the agama, which instead of plates 

 have scales upon the head ; from the dragons^ whose sides 

 are winged ; from the iguanas, which have a denticulated 

 goitre vmder the throat ; from the ameivas and safeguards, 

 which have no scaly collar ; from the monitors and draccBna, 

 which have the palate without teeth ; from the stelliones 

 and cordyli, which have the tail thorny ; and from the basilisks 

 and lophyri, which have a crest upon the tail. 



