LIZARD. 



filial fins on each fide tlie neck ; tliefe are but temporary or- 

 gans, and are afterwards obliterated like thofe of the tad- 

 pole. 



It has been thought that the falamander was a venomous 

 animal, and that its poilon is of fo malignant a nature, as 

 fcarcely to admit of any remedy. Later obfervati'ns and 

 -experiments have afcertained that it is perfetliy innocent, and 

 although the fluid fecreted from the (Icin may be noxious to 

 fmaller animalr., it is incapable of inflitUng either wound or 

 poifon on any laro;e animal. 



Stkujiosa ; Strumous lizard. Tail round, long ; breaft 

 gibbous, projeftmg forward. This is of a fmall ii/.e, has no 

 lerratures, but is furni(hed with a large flat crell at the 

 throat, of a pale red colour ; the other parts of the animal 

 are of a pale blueifh-grev, with fome flight fliades of a more 

 dufliy hue. The limbs are flender. It is a native of South 

 America. 



ViTTATA ; Forked lizard. The tail of this fpecies is 

 round, long ; body brown with a white dorfal fillet, forked 

 over tlie bead. It inhabits India ; it does not exceed fix or 

 fevea inches in length ; the head is large in proportion to 

 the body, the toes are lamellated beneath ; terminated by 

 curved claws. The upper furface is covered with extremely 

 fnnall tubercles, which are fo minute as fcarcely to be per- 

 ceptible. 



Turcica ; the Turkiih lixard. Tail fubverticillate, 

 middle-fized ; body grey, and a litt'e warty. It inhabits 

 the Eall. Its body is dufted with brown fpots, unequal, 

 and as if fprinkled with fcarcely viiible warts ; the tail is 

 about the length of the body.. 



R.\PICAUDA ; Turnip-tailed lizard. Tail turbinate ; cars 

 xroncave. This fpecies is found in feveral of the American 

 iflands ; the body is white, fpotted with brown ; warts 

 fmall, thickly fprinkled ; claws hollowed in the middle un- 

 dern;ath. 



Gecko ; Common Gecko lizard. Tail round, middle- 

 iized ; toes a little clawed ; ears concave. This animal is 

 faid to have received its name from the peculiar found of its 

 voice, which bears a refemblance to that word when uttered 

 in a (hrill tone. It is twelve or fourteen inches long, and is 

 accordingly ranked among the middle-fized animals of the 

 lizard tribe ; but it is thicker and ftronger than the greater 

 part of lizards. Its head is flattifli, fomewhat triangular, and 

 large, with a covering of minute fcales ; its mouth is wide, 

 eyes large, teeth fmall, and its tongue is broad and flat. 

 The ufual colour of the gecko "is brown, with forte irre- 

 gular dulky or blueilh variugations, but this colour becomes 

 more brilliant in warmer regions. 



It inhabits India, Arabia, Egypt, and the warmer parts of 

 Europe ; it frequents houfes in iummer, but is feldom feen 

 in the winter ; makes a noife like a weafel ; is tame, and 

 when frighted will run into houfes for Ihelter ; it emits a 

 poilonous fluid from the lamella beneath its feet, which, if 

 fmeared over fruit, or other articles of food it has run over, 

 caufes a violent colic in thofe who happen to eat them ; it 

 frequently ftands in an erett pofture on its hind-feet ; from 

 the peculiar llrucf ure of its feet the animal is enabled to at- 

 tach itfelf to the fmoolhefh furfaces. 



There is a variety of this fpecies denominated Tolai, 

 defcribed by the Jef.iit miffionaries lent by Lewis XIV. to 

 Siam ; of which the body is covered above by a granulated 

 ikin, varied with red and blue undulations ; the belly is of an 

 aih .colour, and interfperfed with red fpots ; the head is large 

 and triangular. It is a native of Siam, and is regarded as a 

 poifonous animal. Bontius, in his Hitlory of Java, appears 

 todefcribe one of a iimilar kind, under the name of the In- 

 4lian lalamander. It is called Gecko, on account of its 



Vol. XXI. 



flirill cry. It is about a foot long, and its colour is fea- 

 green, fpotted with red, the head is large and toad-like ; 

 the eyes are large and extremely protuberant. It is faid 

 that the Javanefe hold up the animal by the tail to make it 

 difcharge faliva from the mouth, whith they coUedt and 

 preferve for the purpofe of poifoning their arrows. 



Geitje. Tail lanceolate, middle-fized ; fore-feet with 

 four toes ; this fpecies is found at the Cape of Good Hope. 

 It is called by f ime naturaliils Sparmanmana, on account of 

 its having been firfl; defcribed by Sparmann. Its col.ur on 

 the upper parts is a variegation of darker and lighter 

 fliadcs, and on the under parts it is whitifli. It is looked 

 on as a poifonous animal, and is fuppofed to fecrete from its 

 pores a fluid which produces tumours and even gangrenes, 

 that are fometimes cured by the application of citron juice, 

 but which, if long neglefted, are very produAive of dan- 

 gerous fymptoms. 



Section G. The animals in this divifion have feet with 

 five toes ; fome of which are connected ; the tail is round, 

 Ihort, incurved. 



Species. 

 Chameleon. Three varieties are mentioned in the Syf- 

 tema Naturs, of which the fpecific charafter of the firil it, 

 body cinereous ; head flat ; of the fecond the body is white ; • 

 and of the third the head is very large. 



The chama:leon inhabits India and New Spain ; it lives 

 chiefly in trees : from the anatomical dcfcription, the lungs 

 are large, and capable of being inflated to an enormous fize 

 by the animal ; the eyes are fo moveable that the creature 

 can look in different direftions at the fame time ; the pupil 

 has a golden glare, and frequently changes its colour. 



Few animals have been fo much celebrated as the chamas- 

 leon, which, it was long believed, has the povs-er of changing 

 its colour at pleafure, and of alfimilating it to that of any 

 particular objefl or fituation. This, however, is not the real 

 (tate of the cafe ; the change of colour which the animal ex- 

 hibits varies in degree according to the circumftances of 

 health, temperature of the weather, and other caufes, and 

 confiftis chiefly in an alteration of fliades from the natural 

 greenifli or blueilh-grey of the Ikin into pale yellowifli, with 

 irregular fpots of dull red. Another erroneous aflertion 

 vvith regard to the chamxleon was, that it could fubfift on 

 air. This arofe from the long abilinence wliich it is known 

 capable of enduring. 



The length of the chamasleon is about ten inches, but in- 

 cluding the tail, it is nearly double th.nt length. The ilin 

 on every part of the animal is granulated. There are five 

 toes on each foot, two and three of which are united by a 

 common flvin as far as the claws. The ilrufture of the 

 tongue is peculiar ; it is very long, ^nd furniflied with a di- 

 lated fomewhat tubular tip, by which means it is enabled 

 eafily to feizc infefts, by darting it out and fecuring them 

 on the tip. It is found in many parts of the world, and 

 particularly in India and Africa ; and has been feen in the 

 warmer parts of Spain and Portugal. For a fartlier account' 

 of this animal, fee Cham/ELEon. 



Africana ; or African lizard. Black ; head carinate ; 

 it inhabits the northern parts of Africa and Spain ; in its 

 habits it refembles the chamasieon ; the protuberant parts 

 are all white. 



PuMiLLA ; Dwarf lizard. Sides blueidi, with two yel- 

 lowifli li^es ; it is found at the Cape of Good Hope. In 

 this fpecies the head is fomewhat flatter than that of the 

 Africana, but ftill elevated in the middle, and edged ou 

 each fide with a denticulated margin. The Atricar.a and 

 the Pumilla have been regarded, by fume naturalills, as 

 varieties of the fame fpecies. 



E e Seftion H. 



