REPTILES AS PETS 391 



The name is properly applied to certain African species (of 

 Agapornis), but it may also be taken to include the Parrotlets 

 {Psittacida) of South America. 



The sprightly crested Cockatoos {CacatuidcB) of the Australian 

 region do not lack their admirers, while for gaudy coloration few 

 birds surpass the long-tailed Macaws (species oi Ara, fig. 1275), 

 which range from Mexico into South America. 



REPTILES (Reptilia) AS PETS 



Reptiles make no appeal to the affections or fancies of most 

 persons, though various species prove attractive to some. The 

 ancient Egyptians, as everyone knows, regarded the Nile Croco- 

 dile {Crocodihis Nilotictts) as sacred, and made a sort of pet divinity 

 of the creature, but this hardly comes within the scope of the 

 present section. Some persons have a fancy for certain Snakes, 

 such as our common and innocuous Grass-Snake {Tropidonotus 

 natrix), and the Indian snake-charmers tame the Cobra {Naia 

 tripudtans), actuated, however, by strictly business motives. Re- 

 garding the latter, Gadow (in The Cambridge Natural Bisto7y) 

 speaks as follows: — "This cobra is used by Indian conjurers. 

 The ' dance ' is the habit of these snakes of erecting themselves, 

 when agitated, upon the hinder third or quarter of their length, 

 whilst they spread out the hood and sway the head and neck to 

 the right and left, always in an attitude ready for striking. They 

 are docile, and by nature not vicious. Most of the performing 

 cobras have their teeth drawn, and they then know well that 

 they cannot bite. They only strike at the hand, just as uninjured 

 specimens soon avoid biting into the iron rod with which they 

 are lifted up in menageries. The drawing of the teeth is an 

 operation which has to be repeated, since reserve-teeth soon 

 take the place of the lost pair." 



Various Lizards are or have been tamed, and some of them 

 are very attractive, e.g. the beautiful Green Lizard {Lacerta 

 viridis). The Common Gecko [Tarentola Mauritanicd) of North 

 Africa and South Spain and Portugal often lives in houses in a 

 half-domesticated condition, running over the walls and ceilings in 

 pursuit of flies. And such lizards are sometimes actually tamed. 



The most familiar domesticated reptile in this country is the 

 Grecian Tortoise {Testudo Gmca), though it can scarcely be 



