1881.] A Partial Biography of the Green Lizard. 99 
I never saw them protrude the tongue to catch them. Sometimes, 
with slightly open mouth, one will creep cautiously towards a fly 
and seize it with a quick snap, at others they will jump twice their 
length and catch it. They feed at night if near a bright light. 
I tried to feed mine with rose bugs (Macrodactylus subspinosus 
Fab.), of which our supply this year has been much greater than 
the demand, but they refused to have any thing to do with the 
spiny creatures. After catching a fly they generally move it 
around in their mouths, seeming to crush and moisten it before 
swallowing. 
In shedding their skins they differ from snakes and such sala- 
manders as I have seen exuviate. The skin splits along the back, 
and the upper sides of the legs, and comes off in large fragments. 
It is loose on the legs and tail first; the lizard seizes a bit in his 
mouth and pulls it. off his feet like an inverted glove; then he 
eats it. Pieces that he scrapes off against the branches, he does 
not trouble himself to collect as food. It seems a difficult matter 
to remove the old skin from around the jaws and eyes; I have 
seen them rub and scratch a good deal and still wear tatters of 
their old garments around the head for several days after the rest 
of the body was polished off. I saw one once kick many times 
at an annoying piece on its head with its hind foot in much the 
same way a cow will try to scratch her head. He would curve 
. the body and give a vigorous scratch or two, then quickly turn 
the other side and use the other foot. 
When the tail has been broken off and renewed, it skins inde- 
pendent of the rest of the body. 
I do not know if there is a regular time for changing side: but 
suppose it depends on the general health and the growth of the 
animal. One of mine changed twice in seventeen days, and the 
other only four times in five months. 
I have found three eggs in the cage at different times, but they 
soon shriveled up and amounted to nothing. 
My specimens occasionally get in the corners and dig at the 
wires trying to scratch their way out, but generally they seem 
contented, enjoy basking in the sunshine, and watch me closely 
with their quick brilliant eyes as though they knew I furnished 
them with food. Fuly, r88o. 
