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TEE YOUNG NATUJRALIST. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



All communications to be sent to J. E. Robsox, Bellerby 

 Terrace, West Hartlepool ; ort,o S. L. Moslky, Beau- 

 mont Park, Huddersfield. 



A. D,, Marlow. — We are surprised you did 

 not get the plates, they were issued along , 

 with the cover on April 30th. If you will 

 send a penny stamp we will send you them. 



EXCHANGES. 



I have some specimens of the Viviparous 

 Lizard (Zuotoca vivipara ) alive. I would be 

 glad to exchange them for Birds' Eggs. — 

 J. C. Cambridge, Alliance St., Hartlepool. j 



Xylocampa lithoriza. — Young larvae of 

 this species in exchange for other larvae. 

 Devon specimens of lithoriza are more suffused j 

 with pink than those from other localities. — 

 G. F. Mathew, Instow, North Devon. 



OUR BRITISH REPTILES. 



By S. L. Mosley. 



The Reptiles of this country do not seem to 

 have commanded their proper share of atten- 1 

 tion from naturalists, although they are both ; 

 interesting, and beautiful, and not numerous in 

 point of species. But there is a popular ; 

 superstitious dread of anything approaching 

 the form of a Snake or a Lizard ; still I 

 believe that superstition is dying out, and j 

 that belief was strengthened when one evening j 

 I saw a young lady take up a ringed snake, ! 

 and put it round her neck. Nothing is more : 

 graceful, and certainly nothing is more use- ! 

 ful in a fernery or wardian case, than one or I 

 two Snakes, Lizards, or Toads, and if looked 

 at without prejudice all must admit they are j 

 beautiful animals. People have a notion that 

 they are venomous, but this notion is un- 

 founded : only one — the adder — being endowed 

 with poison fangs. 



Reptiles are cold-blooded animals, and, | 

 therefore, feel rather peculiar when handled ; 

 but this ought not to deter people from 

 making their acquaintance : fish are cold- 

 blooded, and almost every person is fond of 

 an aquarium. Another peculiarity in Rep- j 



tile life is the habit of casting their skins at 

 intervals. The skin is smooth, as in the 

 Frog ; or covered with scales, as in the Snake 

 and Lizard ; or with warts, as in the Toad, &c. 



Of the Lizards we have only three, or., 

 perhaps, four native species, three of which 

 are tolerably common. 



The Common Scaly Lizard (Zootoca vivi- 

 para ) is the smallest species we have, 

 measuring from five to six inches in length. 

 It frequents heaths and dry places in both 

 England and Scotland, and, I believe, Ireland 

 also. I have caught it on the dry hill-sides 

 in Upper Swaledale. The general colour is 

 brown, with darker lines above, and the tail 

 is very long in proportion to the body. If 

 caught by the tail, it throws that member off, 

 and escapes. The discarded tail will twist 

 and move for a considerable time. A new 

 tail is very soon grown. 



The Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) is, per- 

 haps, a more beautiful animal than the last, 

 though not so elegant and slender in form. 

 The colour is sandy, with darker spots and 

 lighter stripes, tinted with brownish or green- 

 ish. It measures from seven to nine inches 

 in length, and frequents sandy districts. I 

 have often caught it on the sandhills near 

 Southport, but could never succeed in keeping 

 one alive for any length of time. 



There seems to be some doubt as to whether 

 the Green Lizakd (Lacerta viridis J is really 

 a native of Britain, It measures from twelve 

 to fifteen inches in length, and the general 

 colour is different shades of green and yellow. 

 We should be glad to hear if any of our 

 country friends know anything of such an 

 animal. 



The Blind worm (Anguis fragilis j is the 

 connecting link between the Lizards and 

 Snakes, approaching the latter in external 

 form, but resembling the former in internal 

 structure. It is said to be common in many 

 parts of England and Scotland, but I have 

 never had the good fortune to find it. It 

 seems to vary in length, but the majority are 

 from 10 inches to a foot ; the upper part of 



