Reptiles. 105 



the sun, with its belly flattened as much as possible ; a piece of heath 

 was also placed in the box, about which it was very fond of climbing. 

 During the first three weeks it was fed entirely on flies, which it de- 

 voured greedily after the first three days' confinement ; always reject- 

 ing their heads and wings : however, finding a difficulty in procuring 

 a sufficient quantity of flies, I obtained some meal-worms, to which it 

 soon became very partial. The manner of seizing them was thus ; 

 creeping quietly up to the worm it drew back its head, leaning it on 

 one side for an instant, and then darting it forward with its whole force, 

 it seized the victim by the middle, and held it so until it ceased strug- 

 gling, when it ate it very slowly. After a short time it would take the 

 meal-worms from my hand, but would never touch dead ones. Every 

 morning it had a swim in a basin of water ; this I considered condu- 

 cive to its health : it continued to do so until it ceased eating, four or 

 five days previously to becoming torpid. 



On the 28th of July of the same year I received another specimen 

 from the same locality ; and I may here mention that I have diligently 

 searched other heaths, but without success. The change of the skin 

 took place about every six weeks, and was effected by rubbing it off" 

 against the heath, not after the manner of the serpent, by turning it 

 off", but the skin, splitting along the sides, broke off" in several pieces, 

 the skin of the legs separate from any part of the body ; the skin of 

 the tail split the whole length underneath, and broke off" in pieces of 

 two or three whorls each. I could never find the skin of the head, 

 neither do I think it was ever shed : I am convinced that it never was 

 blind, and shedding the skin did not appear to occasion it any incon- 

 venience whatever. 



About the first week in October both my lizards began to refuse 

 their food, which induced me to leave off" bathing them, and they re- 

 treated between the baize and the side of the box on the 1 3th of the 

 same month ; I saw nothing more of them during the winter. On the 

 12th of February they were evidently arousing, their eyes being a lit- 

 tle open ; the next day they were very lively, but through neglect in 

 feeding them they both died in the ensuing month. 



They never attempted to bite, as did a specimen of the viviparous 

 lizard {Zootoca vivipara) which was confined with them, and after the 

 first three or four days they were very gentle ; they were not nearly so 

 timid as the Zootoca, neither were they so agile ; if taken in the hand 

 they would immediately crawl up the sleeve. The action of drinking 

 was like that of a dog, but more slowly performed. The tongue was 

 never used in catching their food ; sometimes they would get too near 



