122 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 



great trouble. Its food consists of insects, especially such as are 

 found under decaying wood." The colouring of this Lizard is remark- 

 ably brown, with narrow zig-zag black bands above, and green below, 

 with a white medium stripe bordered with black ; throat and breast 

 black, with a broad green band across. Various species of kindred 

 genera were collected by Mr. Darwin, and are figured in the " Zoology 

 of H.M.S. Beagle? and of one of these (probably Lecolcenus Darwinii), 

 which he observed at Bahia Blanca, in Northern Patagonia, he re- 

 marks that " it lives on the bare sand near the sea-coast, and from 

 its mottled colour, the brownish scales being speckled with white, 

 yellowish red, and dirty blue, can hardly be distinguished from the 

 surrounding surface. When frightened it attempts to avoid discovery 

 by feigning death, with outstretched legs, depressed body, and closed 

 eyes ; if further molested, it buries itself with great quickness in the 

 loose sand. This Lizard, from its flattened body and short legs, can- 

 not run quickly." With others these Lizards constitute the sub-family 

 Tropidolepince of Dr. Gray, which are followed by the sub-family 

 Fhry?ioso7nin(z, in which some very singular Lizards find their place. 

 The most extraordinary of them constitute the genus Bhrynoso7na, 

 four species of which inhabit western North America. These have 

 great spines to the occiput, in these respects resembling the African 

 genus Cordylns (p. 101), and very toad-like proportions, looking some- 

 what like toads with short tails ; and again they decidedly approximate 

 in appearance to the curious Moloch horridus of Western Australia, 

 which belongs to the corresponding Old World family of Agancidce; 

 and, like that strange reptile, they are slow of motion and perfectly 

 harmless, and they may be handled with impunity, as they never 

 attempt to bite.] 



Flying Lizards. 



Flying Lizards (Draco) have the head small, the nostrils in a 

 scale, tubular, on the side ridge ; tympanum white and opaque. They 

 live on trees, walking with agility with their wings folded by their 

 sides. These wings they expand and use as a parachute when they 

 throw themselves upon their prey* from the tops of trees or other 

 elevated places, but they cannot move them as birds do. These re- 

 markable appendages are also used as a fan to drive off insects. 



[The fabulous dragons of the ancient Greeks were serpents or 

 lizards with remarkably piercing sight, which guarded treasures and 

 devoured men. The dragons of mediaeval artists were frightful and 

 fantastic beings, one half bat and the other half quadruped or 

 serpent. The little Saurians which now bear the once dreaded name 



