Lizards. REPTILES. Si.ender-Tongued Lizards. 
18 
or of a rounded form gradually attenuating to the tail, 
which is of a very elongate conical form, being, at the 
base, about the same size as the inferior portion of the 
body, and with difficulty distinguishable from it. The 
scales with which the body and limbs are covered, are 
usually smooth and polished on the surface, so that 
most of these animals can glide along the ground, and 
are able easily to insinuate themselves into small holes. 
Their mode of progression is a creeping sort of motion, 
the body possessing a sinuous and undulating move- 
ment like that of serpents. The species are widely 
diffused. They occur not only in the most arid dis- 
tricts of temperate regions, and in climates the tem- 
perature of which is always high, but extend even 
to countries where the temperature would apparently 
not pei'init the existence of reptiles ; the Blind worm 
{Anguis fragilis), for instance, being found as far 
north as Sweden. They are most abundant, however, 
in the islands of the Pacific, and in Australia. From 
the shortness of their jaws they cannot open their mouth 
wide, and, as their teeth are very slender, they seem 
able only to catch insects or very small animals. 
The family of Scinks may he divided into two 
groups ; first, those which have the scales of the body 
smooth, not striated nor keeled ; and second, those in 
which the scales are thick, bony, rugose, striated, or 
one or more keeled. 
The genus SciNCUS belongs to the first division — • 
the smooth scales ; and as now restricted, contains only 
one species — 
THE OFFICINAL, or Common Scink or the Scink of 
the shops {Scincus officinalis) — Plate 1, figs. 5, 6, and 
Plate 8, fig. 10 — is a small lizard about six or eight 
inches in length, and is subject to considerable variation 
in its colouring. Its upper parts are usually j'ellow, or 
of a silvery gray, mingled with brown and black in 
transverse hands ; the under parts are generally of a 
silvery white. It is a native of Syria, Egypt, Nubia, 
Abyssinia, and Arabia ; and is also found in Senegal. 
It has been frequently mentioned by travellers, and its 
history is rather curious. Hasselquist in his journey 
to the Levant met with it. “ This animal is found,” 
he says, “ in Arabia Petrsea, near the Red Sea, and in 
Upper Egypt on the banks of the Nile. The people of 
the East employ it as an aphrodisiac ; hut the Europeans 
do not care to imitate them. Its flesh is given in the 
form of powder in some irritating vehicle, and the 
Arabians even make broth of its flesh.” Bruce in his 
travels through Abyssinia, describes it at some length. 
“ It is a native,” he says, “ of Athara beyond the rains, 
in that situation where we have said the island and 
city of Merbe formerly were. This lizard is called 
El-adda. It burrows in the sand, and performs this 
operation so quickly, that it is out of sight in an mstant, 
and appears rather to have found a hole than to have 
made one, yet it comes out often in the heat of the 
day, and basks itself in the sun ; and if not very much 
frightened, will take refuge behind stones, or in the 
withered ragged roots of the absinthium, dried in the 
sun to nearly its own colour.” “ Almost the whole of 
this large tribe of lizards, is by the Arabians, described 
as poisonous. The El-adda is one of the few which 
the Arabs in all times have believed to be free of 
poisonous qualities, and yet to have all the medicinal 
virtues that they have so abundantly lavished upon 
the more noxious species. Though its legs are very 
long, it does not make use of them to stand upright, 
but creeps with its belly almost close to the ground. 
It runs, however, with very gre.at velocity. Its 
tail is perfectly round, is exceedingly sharp-pointed, 
and very easily broke. Its jaws have a number of 
short, fine, but very feeble teeth, and when holding 
it in my hand, though it struggled violently to get 
loose, it never attempted to make use of its teeth ; 
indeed, it seems to turn its neck with great difficulty.” 
A later traveller confirms this account of Bruce in 
several of his minute details. M. A. Lefebure, we are 
told by Dumeril and Bibron, found the Scink in 
abundance in the oasis of Bahrieh, living on the little 
mounds of fine light sand which the south wind accumu- 
lates at the foot of the hedges which inclose the culti- 
vated grounds, and around the roots of the tamarisk 
trees which grow on the confines of the desert. There 
he saw it quietly basking in the hottest rays of the sun, 
and occasionally giving chase to beetles and other 
insects which came near it. It runs with considerable 
swiftness, and when threatened or frightened it buries 
itself in the sand with singular rapidity, digging in a 
few instants a burrow several feet in depth. When 
caught it struggles to escape, but never attempts to bite 
or defend itself with its claws. It was for its great 
reputed medicinal virtues, however, that the Scink was 
formerly best known. 
THE MABOUYAS {Mahouia) of the West Indies, are 
particularly mentioned by Sloane in his “ History of 
Jamaica,” as small animals, with a very dark appear- 
ance. Hence the name of Mabouya given to them by 
the natives of North America — that word meaning 
anything which inspires disgust or horror. They 
climb upon trees, and the roofs and rafters of the huts 
of the Indians and negroes. In general they live in 
the crevices and holes of rotten trees, but during the 
heat of the day they come out to bask in the rays of 
the sun. They seem very sensitive to wet, for at the 
approach of rain they make a great noise and leave 
their positions. The natives dread them as poisonous, 
but there is no proof of their being so. 
THE NIMBLE MABOUYA [Mahouia agilis), one of 
the species has been well described by Mr. Gosse. “ In 
the parts of Jamaica with which I am familiar,” he 
says, “ this pretty, active little Scink is abundant. It 
is most numerous in the lowlands, and on the gentle 
sloping hills of moderate elevation that form the charac- 
teristic feature of the southern side of that beautiful 
island. The fences there are largely composed of 
‘ dry wall,’ built of rough, unhewn stones, without 
cement. On these walls the Mabouya ma}' be seen 
crawling, and often lying quite still in the sunshine ; 
when alarmed, it darts with lightning-like rapidity into 
one of the crevices which abound in all parts of such a 
structure. Indeed, it rarely ventures far from some 
refuge of this kind, and I presume that the facilities for 
instant retreat afforded by these pervious walls are the 
chief cause of its preference for them. It is scarcely 
ever seen on the ground, except when avoiding danger, 
nor on the trunk or branches of trees or shrubs ; but 
