THE LIZARDS 187 



reddish-yellow sands of the Sahara Desert and in Arabia. 

 It is about seven inches long when adult. The long, 

 cylindrical body is provided with four ludicrously small 

 limbs. As the animal progresses it folds the legs 

 against the body, moving in ophidian fashion. When 

 frightened, it literally swims into the sand, the wedge- 

 shaped snout greatly assisting in the process. The col- 

 oration is pale yellowish with faint brown longitudinal 

 streaks. 



Three families of worm-like lizards appear to be much 

 degraded tj^pes of the Scincidce. These are the Anely- 

 tropidce, with one Mexican and five African species ; the 

 Aniellidce, with one Californian species, and the Diba- 

 midcB, consisting of a single genus of two species — one 

 in New Guinea, the Celebes and the Moluccas and an- 

 other in the Nicobar Islands. Dibamiis novce-guineos 

 might appear to the pojjular eye merely as a long, slender 

 worm covered with glassy scales. The head is blunt, 

 conical and smaller than the neck, with a very large, 

 cap-like shield on the snout, the rostral. It is almost 

 needless to say this lowly reptile is blind and strictly 

 subterraneous. 



The Chameleons: Lizards of several families are 

 often called "Chameleons" owing to their invokmtary 

 habit of quickly changing their hues; such species are 

 found in various parts of the world. The true Chame- 

 leons form an Old World family, essentially African; a 

 large number of the species are found in Madagascar. 

 Two occur in Arabia and Socotra; one species inhabits 

 southern India and Ceylon and one of the African 

 species is found in southern Spain. About fifty in 

 number of species, these lizards compose a very distinct 

 family, the Chamceleontidce. The dentition is acrodont. 



There is hardly any possibility of mistaking a chame- 



