Notices of New Books. 3867 



In the old mill-house at Bluefields they are numerous ; and two 

 or three pairs may be seen day after day at the same spot, peeping 

 out of their crevices and remaining perfectly still for hours. Some- 

 times they venture forth, and may be observed crawling slowly along 

 the beams and rafters, moving with excessive deliberation, and never 

 going far from their holes, into which they dart on the least alarm 

 with swift rapidity. 



" The curious structure of the feet in the Geckotidae, by which they 

 are enabled to walk on reversed surfaces, has been often described. 

 The toes in this species radiate from the foot, are dilated into broad oval 

 disks, and have the under surface covered with transverse laminae, the 

 edge of each overlapping its successor. Minute hooked claws, very 

 acute, like those of a cat, doubtless assist the animal in its feats of this 

 kind. I do not, however, remember to have ever seen this gecko actu- 

 ally back downward, but often crawling on the vertical side of a beam. 



" The skin of this animal is very loosely attached to the muscles, and 

 is so soft and fragile that it tears with a mere touch, like wetted brown 

 paper. The head and back are covered with minute conical tubercles 

 very closely set, which on the sides and towards the tail, become more 

 inclined, and flattened in a posterior direction, so as to form overlap- 

 ping scales, which are most regular and largest on the belly and tail ; 

 each is in contact with six other surrounding ones. The under side 

 of the tail is crossed by a series of broad plates here and there, varied 

 however by two broad scales supplying the place of one plate. The 

 tail has no transverse folds, but the scales are arranged with regularity 

 there. I have not been able to detect any femoral pores. 



" The periodical casting of the skin takes place much as in other li- 

 zards. The head and fore parts begin to assume a white appearance, 

 and the next day the skin of these parts separates from the surface of 

 the body, often irregularly, and lies in loose ragged folds around it. 

 It now looks like muslin of the most delicate fineness ; it is slit down 

 the back and separated, but not yet thrown off. At the same time 

 the hinder parts have the same whiteness as the head on the previous 

 day ; for there seems always to be the difference of the day in the 

 sloughing of the fore and hind parts. When the cuticle is however 

 manifestly detached, it is not thrown off at once, but hangs around 

 the lizard like a ragged garment for several days; apparently to its no 

 small annoyance. 



" The reproduction of the tail in lizards, after it has been acciden- 

 tally lost, is a very curious phenomenon which seems not to have been 

 observed with sufficient precision. In this species it takes place with 



