THE LIZARDS 117 



fraseri is another species of the family, and has smooth 

 scales. The tail is three or four times as long as the 

 combined head and body, while the flap-like, rudimen- 

 tary hind limbs are much smaller than with the preceding 

 species. The habitat is Australia. 



Leaving the PygopodidcB, which is practically un- 

 known aside from the study of alcoholic examples, we 

 arrive at a large and important family from which may 

 be selected many striking forms for discussion — and 

 these fortunately obtainable alive, to be photographed 

 and thus figure among our illustrations. 



The Family Agamidce: The members of this strictly 

 Old World family may be at once distinguished from 

 their allies by the acrodont dentition — the teeth set on 

 the edges of the jaw bones (not in grooved sockets or 

 surrounded by alveolae). As a rule, the teeth of the 

 Agamidce may be divided into incisors, canines and 

 molars. Lizards of this family have a short, fleshy 

 tongue. Their limbs are strong and well developed. 

 The eyes have a round pupil, are decidedly small, 

 though withal acute of vision and provided with func- 

 tional lids. Thus the reader will at once appreciate 

 that the members of this important family, about two 

 hundred in number, are alert, diurnal, active lizards, 

 devoid of those marked degenerative processes which 

 have reduced certain members in various other families 

 into sluggish, burrowing forms. The species exhibit 

 great diversity of form and scalation. Tliose leading 

 a terrestrial life are decidedly flattened, while the 

 strictly arboreal members are as markedly compressed 

 vertically. Some have a fine, almost granular scala- 

 tion. A number bristle with spines. Many have a 

 crest of high, dorsal spines like the New World 

 iguanas. Here it is not inappropriate to mention a 



