EEPTILES OP BBITISn BIBMA. 35 



nately. Tail pale greenish-brown, minutely yellow- dotted above, 

 underside pale yellowish. Eye oval, blact, brown-ringed. Tail 

 seasonally suffused with red. Femoral pores eighteen in each 

 thigh, slightly separated on the pubes. 



a. Adult male. Body . . . . 6'00 



Tail .... 11-50= 17"50 



Larger specimens are, however, met with. 



Tliis lizard is called " Padat " by the Birmese, and is generally 

 distributed in Tenasserim and Pegu, where it is much esteemed 

 for food. It is herbivorous, of timid disposition, and of social and 

 gregarious habits, burrowing in the sandy and dry forests. It 

 feeds much on the small flower, like an orange and white crocus, 

 which springs up so plentifully in the diy forests in March. It 

 is essentially terrestrial, and a burrower, and never ventures on 

 trees ; so that Cantor was mistaken in supposing that it applied 

 its expansile ribs to the same use as the Dragons. "What function 

 the expansile ribs and lax skin serve, I do not know ; but they are 

 assuredly not used for flight, as the animal, when alarmed, hurries 

 with good speed to its burrow as any other lizard might, but 

 without attempting to ascend a tree and thence take flight as the 

 Dragons do. Cantor, however, I think, only studied the animal in 

 captivity, a,i\Apriincl facie his supposition was reasonable enough. 



A noteworthy trait of the lizards of this family (Uromasticidse) 

 is their physiognomy, whicli is eminently sheepish and resigned — 

 speaking of course of the expression of the living animal, which 

 is described to a hair by the verse of Ovid, 



" Animal sine fratido doloque, 

 lunocuum, simplex." 



Table of distribution of Sirmese Sauria. 



Yaranus nebulosus. Gray Tenasserim ; JPegu. 



Y. dracscua, L Tenasserim ; I*cgi(. 



V. flavescens, Gray Tenasserim ; Pegu. 



Hydrosaurus salvator, Laur Tenasserim ; Pegu. 



*Tachydromu3 sex-lineatus, Daud. . Tenasserim ; Pegu. 



Pseudopus gracilis. Gray Pegu. 



*Tropidophorus Berdmorei, Blyth. Tenasserim; Pegu. 



Tiliqua rufescens, Shaw Tenasserim ; Pegu. 



T. multicarinata, Kuhl Tenasserim j Pegu. 



*Hinulia maculata, Blyth Pegu. 



*Eumeces Bowringi, G'««^/ier Pegu. 



3* 



