88 
NATURE NOTES. 
TWO LITTLE INDIAN SAURIANS. 
NDER the term “ saurians ” — from “ Sauros” the Greek 
for lizard — naturalists reckon generall}^ the crocodiles, 
water and land lizards, cordyles, skinks, acontiads, 
sand lizards, geckos and agames ; and they also include 
in the group those fossil reptiles, the skeletons of which have 
been restored with amazing care by many able palaeontologists. 
These fossil saurians are named ichthyosaurus, plesiosaurus, 
deniosaurus, iguanodon, and the pterodactyles. 
The whole family of these reptiles is very diversified both in 
form and habits. For the most part they are covered wdth 
scales upon the body, some may even be said to be protected by 
scale armour as in the case of the crocodilidae. They are all 
as a rule provided with four legs, though some have only the 
rudiments of the hind limbs, as the acontiads. Some, again, are 
snake-like in appearance, or perhaps I should say resemble more 
the worm. They are all provided with tails which are more or 
less thick at the base. Of the fossil species the greater part were 
marine, some amphibious, others terrestrial, while the ptero- 
dactyles or winged lizards seem to have been qualified for all 
services in air, earth and water. These extinct flying reptiles, 
could by folding their wings crawl as lizards, stand erect, and 
as we are assured by Mantell, the distinguished geologist, they 
possessed the power of being able to perch on the bough of a 
tree like a bird. 
I am afraid that perhaps this is too elaborate an opening for 
my unpretending little paper, for I only propose to treat of two 
very insignificant and harmless members of the land lizard 
group, or lacertidae, and that, too, in no scientific a manner. 
These two are one of the Uromastix and the Draco volans, 
both belonging to the sub-order Agamida. 
For an account of the former, I am again indebted to both 
Mr. Thomas and Mr. John Barlow, who, having lived for many 
years in the Punjab, have had peculiar opportunities for becom- 
ing acquainted with the people and the fauna of that country. 
They describe this lizard as averaging in length about ten 
inches, of a somewhat dark sandy colour approximating almost 
to the hue of the dry and waterless plains of the Punjab in 
which they are to be found in large numbers. They have a 
short rounded head with a somewhat keen eye, but with no 
excrescence or crest on the back, but with a very tough skin. 
There is no bag or sac to the neck. Perhaps the most peculiar 
feature they possess is a long thorny tail, these thorns or rather 
spines being found only on the upper portion and sides, and 
none beneath it as in one of its Arabian congeners. They have 
the four legs common to most of their tribe, with strong and 
well developed claws. 
Though somewhat dull, and even inert, they nevertheless are 
