706 LT.-COL. N. MANDERS ON THE 



small worms. Chalcidosejjs has but one species, G. thwaitesii, a 

 small creature about two inches long with very short limbs. It 

 is not represented in the Colombo Museum collection, and I am 

 unacquainted with it. Lygosoma 1ms three species, one found in 

 the hills, the other two common in the low country. Their 

 forelegs are very feebly developed, in fact almost rudimentary, 

 and judging b}' their general appearance they pi-obably have the 

 same habits as the next genus, Mabida, which contains two 

 species, one of which is rather rai-e : the other, M. carinata, is the 

 well known Brahminy Scink, which so far as my experience goes 

 feeds almost entirely on ants, I have invariably failed to get it 

 to feed on butterflies. 



The family Lacertida; has but one genus, C'abreta, containing a 

 single species leschencadtu, very small and rare, found only at 

 Mullative in the arid north-western district. 



The Agamidas has five genera, but three are represented by a 

 single species in each. Otocryptis bivittata, a very small creature, 

 confined apparently to the wet districts up to 2,000 feet : I have 

 no personal acqviaintance with it. Cophotis zei/lanica, also sma.ll 

 and found only in the hills : in captivity it feeds readily on flies, 

 which it captures after the well known manner of the chameleon. 

 Ljjriocephcdus seutatios, a magnificent creature found only in the 

 outer hill-ranges, where the climate is hot and moist. My friend 

 Mr. Alers Hankey, who has kept these species both in captivity 

 and at large in his garden, informs me that they feed on " almost 

 anything — moths, flies, beetles, grasshoppers, worms, and even 

 boiled rice." We may conclude that their taste in butterflies, 

 which they in all probability eat somewhat extensively, is 

 impartial. 



The genus Geratojihora has three species only, one of which I 

 know, G. stoddartii, found only in the highei' ranges. It feeds 

 on worms and positively declined buttei'flies when in captivity. 



The genus Ccdotes has seven species, three of which are some- 

 what rare ; these I do not know nor one other, G. mystacens. Two, 

 G. ophiomachus and G. versicolor, are extremely abundant from the 

 coast to about 3,000 feet, thence upwards iiigrilahris takes their 

 place and is likewise very common. All members of the genus 

 have probably the same habits and are undoubtedly highly 

 destructive to insect life. In fact I have little hesitation in 

 saying that they ai-e the gi-eatest enemies that butterflies have 

 to contend against, and when in Nuwara Eliya in 1909 I should 

 have had no great difficulty in making a fair collection of butter- 

 flies mutilated by them. The injuries were of all kinds, but 

 mostly a semi-circular piece, the size and shape of the lizard's jaw, 

 had been taken out of the hind wing. These mutilated butterflies 

 indicated no discrimination on the part of their enemy ; perhaps 

 Argynnis liyperbms was the most frequent victim. My experi- 

 ments, though not so complete as might be wished, show that 

 these lizards exercise no partiality ; but the butterflies experi- 

 mented Avith are those commonly found in the gardens at Colombo, 



