EM YDOSA URIANS. 1 29 



II. — Having the back high, and compressed belly and sides, with 

 a toothed crest ; including the Side-crested Chameleon, C. laterales, a 

 native of Madagascar. 



III. — The back and belly having a toothed crest, the sides simple, 

 the scales small and equal, muzzle simple ; including the Common 

 Chameleon, C. vulgaris (Fig. 31), with many synonyms. It is a 

 native of the East Indies, is the recognised type of the family, and 

 the one most commonly brought to England. There are probably 

 two varieties — one from North Africa, which is also found in Sicily 

 and the south of Spain; the other, the East Indian variety, C. 

 scnegalensis ■, the Senegal Chameleon, a native of West Africa ; C. 

 arpelis, from Ashantee and Gaboon ; C. verrucosus, a native of 

 Bourbon and Madagascar • the Rhinoceros Chameleon, C. rhinocero- 

 ceratus, also from Madagascar. 



IV. — Having a toothed crest on the back, with the belly and 

 sides simple, the chin and muzzle simple ; including C. tuberculiferus, 

 a native of South Africa ; C. cucullatus, the Hooded Chameleon, a 

 native of Madagascar; C. nasutus, having the chin simple, and the 

 muzzle compressed, and C. bifurcus, having the muzzle in the male 

 forked — both natives of Madagascar ; C. Tigris, Seychelle Islands ; 

 C. ventralis, from South Africa, and C. pumilus, from the Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



V. — Having back and belly without crest ; including C. Parsonii, 

 a native of Madagascar; and C. Owenii, the Three-horned Chameleon, 

 from Fernando Po, and C. Brookesianus, an adult species, from 

 S. W. Brookes' collection. 



Emydosaurians 



have the head large, covered with a thick skin, ears closed with 

 two valves, gape very wide, tongue short, jaws with a single series 

 of cone-shaped teeth inserted in sockets ; back with a hard disc 

 formed of a longitudinal series of square keeled plates of hard 

 bony consistence embedded in the skin ; the under surface covered 

 with smooth thin square plates ; legs short, feet webbed, with four to 

 five toes, the three inner toes of each foot only armed with claws. 

 They are divided into two groups : — 



I. — Crocodilidcz, having the lower canines fitting into a notch in 

 the edge of the upper jaw. 



II. — Alligatoridce, having the canines fitting into a pit in the 

 upper jaw.] 



J 



