MONITOR 



35 



a length of from 5 to 7 feet, and having a sharp keel along the upper side of the 

 tail, this monitor is mainly dark brown in colour with darker mottling and light 

 olive-green or yellowish spots. When walking, it straddles its legs far apart, and 

 turns its long neck and head from side to side, continually darting out its long, 

 forked tongue at short intervals with great rapidity. On land the movements of 

 monitors are comparatively rapid, and in water these reptiles swim and dive with 

 wonderful quickness and perseverance, being apparently able to remain a long time 

 beneath the surface without breathing. 



PEARLY LIZARD. 



Monitors feed -on fishes and their spawn, the eggs and young of crocodiles, 

 frogs, water-beetles, dragon-flies and other insects, as well as on birds and small 

 mammals. They climb fences to steal domesticated pigeons and fowls ; but 

 although spiteful in disposition, they have not teeth strong enough to enable them 

 to inflict serious wounds on human beings. Although these reptiles will 

 occasionally remain for some time in districts far away from water, they always 

 return sooner or later to its neighbourhood. Very different, on the other hand, 

 are the habits of the desert monitor (V. griseus) of the deserts of northern Africa, 

 which differs from the Egyptian species by its light brown colour and the absence 



