282 



REPTILES. 



[Chap. IX. 



during the day, to search for insects that then retire to 

 settle for the night. In a boudoir where the ladies of 

 my family spent their evenings, one of these familiar 

 and amusing little creatures had its hiding-place behind 

 a gilt picture frame. Punctually as the candles were 

 lighted, it made its appearance on the wall to be fed 

 with its accustomed crumbs ; and if neglected, it reite- 

 rated it sharp, quick call of chic, chic, chit, till attended 

 to. It was of a delicate gray colour, tinged with pink ; 

 and having by accident fallen on a work-table, it fled, 

 leaving part of its tail behind it, which, however, it re- 

 produced within less than a month. This faculty of 

 reproduction is doubtless designed to enable the creature 

 to escape from its assailants : the detaching of the limb 

 is evidently its own act ; and it is observable, that when 

 reproduced, the tail generally exhibits some variation 

 from the previous form, the diverging spines being 

 absent, the new portion covered with small square uni- 

 form scales placed in a cross series, and the scuta below 

 being seldom so distinct as in the original niember. 1 

 In an officer's quarters in the fort of Colombo, a geckoe 

 had been taught to come daily to the dinner-table, and 

 always made its appearance along with the dessert. The 

 family were absent for some months, during which the 

 house underwent extensive repairs, the roof having been 

 raised, the walls stuccoed, and the ceilings whitened. It 

 was naturally surmised that so long a suspension of its 

 accustomed habits would have led to the disappearance 

 of the little lizard ; but on the return of its old friends, 

 it made its entrance as usual at their first dinner the 

 instant the cloth was removed. 



Crocodile. — The Portuguese in India, like the Spa- 



1 Brit. Mus. Cat. p. 143 ; Kblaarts Prod. Faun. Zeylan., p. 183. 



