374 
VERTEBRATA. 
is perfectly harmless. Found in Brazil and Surinam. The White Amphisb^na, A. alba, resetn- 
bles the preceding, and is found in the same localities. The A. coeca, found in Martinique, 
appears to be entirely blind. 
Genus CHIROTES : Chirotes, — This presents only a single species, (7. lumbricoides, eight 
inches long, and found in Mexico, 
THE GYMj^OPHTHALMIDJE. 
This term, signifying naked eyes, refers to the fact that the eyes of the family are without eye- 
lids ; the body is extremely elongated, and suake-like ; the skin is covered with regular scales ; the 
mouth wide ; the legs variously developed, some species having four, same two, and some none. The 
Gymnophthalmi have four weak legs ; the Pygopi have two scale-like legs set far back, and the 
Aprasm are entirely destitute of these extremities. These animals are chiefly found in Aus- 
tralia, but one or two are found in Eastern Europe, and one in the West Indies. 
THE SCINCID^. 
The animals of this family, of which the Skink — a species of sraaU lizard — is the type, are fur- 
nished with well-formed eyes and distinct eyelids ; the limbs are variously developed, some having 
legs and feet, and others being entirely footless, like snakes and worms. 
Genus ANGUIS : Anguis— This includes the Slow-'V\"okm, A.frayilis, common in all Europe, 
sometimes called Blind Wm^m 
in England, and Long Cripple in 
Cornwall; the French call it 
Orvet. It appears like a small 
snake, but its internal structure 
is that of the lizards. It is 
twelve to fifteen inches long; 
''■^/'^-^*v^\iM F^^'^^ ^'^~ni«i(fi||j||"ai I ^ I ' feeds on small slugs and earth- 
worms, even those six or seven 
inches long. In winter it buries 
itself under leaves or loose soil, 
and remains torpid till spring. 
It is harmless and timid, and so 
brittle that if taken by the tail 
this extremity separates, aiid the 
creature escapes. This i brittle- 
ness is possessed by many lizards. 
The Glass-Snake, A. ventralis 
of LinnfBus, Ophisaurus ventralis 
of Daudin, is included in this 
genus by many naturalists. It 
has, in fact, the head of a lizard, 
with a serpentine body. Its color 
is yellowish-green above, marked 
with black spots ; its length about 
eighteen inches ; the skin smooth 
and shiny. The great peculiarity 
of this species is, that when struck with a stick it breaks into several pieces, like a fragment of 
glass. It is perfectly harmless, and is found in the woods of the Southern States. 
Genus SCINCXJS : Scincus, includes the Skink, S. officinalis, nine inches long ; it has four legs, 
and runs with great agility, burying itself quickly in the sand when pursued. The ancients attri- 
buted extraordinary medicinal virtues to this animal, which was salted, dried, and sold in the 
apothecaries' shops. Fonnd in Egypt, Arabia, and Nubia. 
The Blue-tailed Skink, S.fasciatus — sometimes called the Striped Lizard — ^is six to eight 
THE SLOW-WORM AND ITS TOUNQ. 
