564 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



c\-es, by way of compensation, being 

 covered hy transparent horny plates, 

 which impart to these creatures that 

 peculiar stony stare which un- 

 doubtedly constitutes one of the 

 most repulsive features of their tribe. 

 There are, however, a few exceptional 

 lizards devoid of eyelids, though these 

 species do not take a snake-like form. 

 Lizards, while distributed through- 

 out temperate and tropical regions, 

 attain to the zenith of their repre- 

 sentation in size, number, and variety 

 of form and colour in tropical and 

 sub-tropical countries. The majority 

 of species are essentially sun-wor- 

 shippers, and in temperate climates, 

 such as that of England, where they 

 are but sparsely represented, pass the 

 cheerless winter months in a state of 

 torpid hibernation. 



The first position among the 

 Lizard Tribe is usually accorded to 

 the Gecko Family — agroup number- 

 ing 280 species, which present several 

 somewhat anomalous features and 

 characteristics. In the first place, in 

 contradistinction to the majority of 

 lizard forms, the)' are for the most 

 part nocturnal in their habits, and 

 ha\e their eyes specially modified to 

 meet them. Geckos, as the exception 

 to the ordinary lizards previously 

 referred to, possess no eyelids and 



the pupil of the eye, as seen in broad daylight, is mostly represented by a narrow vertical slit, 



like that of a cat, or a nocturnal dog-fish. As the night ap|)roachcs, however, the membranous 



diaphragm is retracted, displa\ing to view a symmetrically orbicular pupil of abnormal size 



and luminosity. Another 



prominent characteristic of 



the geckos is the peculiar 



modification of their feet, 



which in mrist instances are 



furnished with adhesive disks 



or ])ads, which enable these 



lizards to run with ease, after 



the manner of fh'es, on the 



smooth surface ot a wall or 



window-pane, or even along 



the ceiling. It is further 



notewortli)- of the geckos that PhMt, iv. sa^ni.-KM, f.z.s. 



they are the only lizards which BURMESE GECKO 



possess the power (if emitting Undcr-mrfacc s/wwing minule hexagonal icaUs and peculiar structure of the adhesiw toe-padl 



Phile bj IV. Savilh-Ktn 



F.Z.S. 



BURMESE GECKOS 



Oni of the largest rrifmhen of the trihe^ nnaiurnig S or 10 inches in length 



