CHAPTER III 
LIZARDS 
T he Lizard Tribe or Sub-order is notable as containing 
a greater number of specific forms than any other 
of the Reptilian groups, no less than i ,700 distinct 
species being described in the most recently published 
catalogues. While formerly regarded as constituting a 
separate and independent order of the Reptile Class, later 
investigations have demonstrated that lizards are so inti- 
mately related through sundry intermediate types with the 
Snakes that they cannot be recognised as constituting other 
than a sub-section of the same order. The two groups of 
the Lizards and Snakes are consequently, and with refer- 
ence more particularly to their commonly 
shared scaly armatures, technically distin- 
guished by the appellation of Scaled Reptiles. 
While the more typical members of the 
Lizard Tribe are readily distinguished from 
the Snakes by the possession of well- 
developed limbs, a no inconsiderable number 
of species are altogether devoid of these 
appendages, or possess them only in a 
partially developed or rudimentary condition. 
The British BliND-WORM, or Slow-WORM, 
constitutes an example of such a legless 
lizard, although on account of its outward 
snake-like appearance it is commonly 
regarded as a snake by the un- 
educated. In the South Euro- 
pean so-called Glass-SNAKE, or 
SCHELTOPUSIK, here figured, the 
snake-like aspect and creeping 
habits are still more conspicuous, 
but yet when examined more crit- 
ically its lizard affinities become 
apparent. One of the most readily 
apprehended external characters 
that serve to distinguish this 
and the majority of the legless 
lizards from snakes is the posses- 
sion by the former of movable 
eyelids and conspicuous external 
ear-openings. Among snakes 
eyelids are invariably absent, the 
photo by E. C. j4ikinson 
BLIND-WORM 
Noti-vithstanding its name^ the blind-'ivortn pos- 
sesses smally 'very bright little eyes 
Photo by PV, SavilU-Kentf F.Z.S. \^Mil/ord>on-Sea 
GLASS-SNAKE, OR SCHELTOPUSIK 
The presence of mo'vable eyelids distinguishes this legless Hazard from 
the true snakes 
Photo by IV, Saville-Kent^ F.Z.S,'^ 
GLASS 
\_Milford’onmSea 
SNAKE 
Snails constitute the fa'vourite food of the glass-snake 
165 
