THE LIZARDS 155 



tionately coarser. The species live in sterile, rocky- 

 places. Zonurus giganteus is about fifteen inches long 

 when adult. It is a uniform, yellowish brown. The 

 habitat is South Africa. 



Pseudocordylus and Platysaurus have small scales on 

 the back in place of the bony plates. The former has 

 a spiny tail; with the latter species the tail is covered 

 with rings of smooth plates. Chamcesaura contains 

 serpentine members of the Zonuridce. The body is 

 slender and cylindrical, covered with lanceolate scales; 

 the tail is extremely long. Three species are found in 

 South Africa, one reaching a length of twenty inches; 

 externally, it looks much like some members of the 

 Anguidce^ as the limbs are quite rudimentary. 



The Family Anguidce: Among the members of the 

 present family the influence of evolution has been 

 markedly felt. We find a curious mix-up in the phases 

 of structure from creatures which run speedily on strong 

 limbs, to utterly limbless forms gUding like serpents and 

 employing a black tongue to investigate their way in 

 truly snake-like fashion. The species are terrestrial 

 (or burrowing). The greater number occur in Mexico 

 and Central America. A few, however, inhabit the 

 United States ; some the West Indies and tropical South 

 America. A small number inhabit Europe and the 

 borders of the Mediterranean. One occurs in India. 



The members of the Anguidce are pleurodont lizards, 

 yet the teeth vary considerably in formation; these are 

 always solid; instead of growing into the hollow bases 

 of the old teeth, thus forcing them out, the new ones 

 grow in betiveen the former. Among some of the spe- 

 cies the teeth are recurved and fang-like; with one, the 

 teeth show the faintest trace of a groove, a condition 

 possibly indicating the development, with time, of veri- 



