546 



LACERTAE 



CHAP. 



order to avert the evil, a priest is employed to go through a 

 rhythmical incantation." 



Captain Eobinson, renowned as a hunter of tigers on foot in 

 the old days of muzzle-loading rifles, has told me the following 

 unique use to which these large lizards are put by ingenious 

 thieves in India. In order to be able to get over a wall too high 

 for climbing without assistance, the thief provides himself with a 

 strong lizard, ties a rope round its waist and lets the animal go, 

 when it at once scales the mud wall by its strong and sharp 

 claws, and jumps down on the other side. The weight of the 

 lizard, which, moreover, holds vigorously on to the ground, and 



Fig. 140. — Varaniis salvator swallowing a Fowl's egg. x ^. 



the friction of the rope on the top of the wall, are sufficient to 

 help the man over ! 



It is a sight, never failing in its attraction to the visitors of 

 the Zoological Gardens in London, to see one of the big Monitors 

 fed with an egg. The lizard knows the treat well that is 

 in store for it. It raises itself up high in expectation, then 

 examines the egg with the long tongue, takes it up gingerly 

 and swallows it entire, crushing it by the contraction of the 

 muscles of its gullet. On one occasion it was given a rotten 

 egg which burst in its mouth, and the lizard refused for a long 

 time to take another. 



F. gouldi is common in Australia and in Xew Guinea. It 

 reaches a length of about 4 feet. Its colour is brown above 



