Eyki) Lizaki>. — — liEi'TILES. Vivii’Auous Iazakd. 1*-’ 
of the Mediterranean. It frequents dry, arid places, 
among rocks, &c., exposed to the influence of the sun, 
and may be frequently seen in the neighbourhood of 
Montpellier, climbing along the bushes and hedges, or 
over large stones in search of insects. It is usually 
about sixteen inches in length, though sometimes it 
1 caches -that of two feet and upwards, and is of a bright, 
glossy, green colour on the upper parts of the body, 
ornamented with round spots of gold and blue, and 
with rings and irregular markings of black ; the under- 
part is white, with a fine glace of green. Its food con- 
sists of insects, especially beetles and grasshoppers, 
worms, frogs, mice, shrews, and other small verte- 
brated animals. It is a bold creature, and will bite 
severely. If attacked by a dog it will defend itself, 
and fastening on his muzzle, will allow itself to be killed 
lather than let go its hold. There is nothing poison- 
ous, however, in its bite, as was at one time erroneously 
liolieved. Laurenti, an Italian naturalist, made a num- 
lier of experiments upon this subject, which were 
perfectly conclusive of this fact. The Eyed Lizard 
runs with gi’eat swiftness, and is said to be able to 
leap remarkably high. Dante, in his Inferno, canto 25, 
alludes to the fondness for heat, and the quick motion 
of this lizard, which is known in Italy by the name' of 
llamarro. lie says — 
“ As underneath the dog-star’s scorching ray, 
The ramarro, darting swift from hedge to liedge. 
Appears like lightning if he cross the way.” 
^Vhen young, it digs for itself a burrow in form of a 
trench, in the furrows of fields, especially where the 
soil is sand ; and when adult, it excavates its retreats 
in a hard sand, often between two layers of a cal- 
careous rock, having an abrupt slope, and exposed 
more or less directly to the south or south-east. It 
cannot bear the eflects of cold ; and thus the assertion 
of some naturalists that this lizard is found in northern 
climates is doubtful. On the authority of Ray and 
Linnmus, however, it is said to inhabit Sweden, and also 
Kamtschatka. In this latter country, we are informed 
that the natives regard it with terror, and consider it 
as an envoy of the infernal jiowers ! 
THE. COMMOH GKEEN IIZARD {Lacerta virulis) is 
much smaller than the preceding, and is a native of 
the same countries, extending, however, as far as the 
island of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. In 
general, it is of a beautiful metallic green colour, 
becoming paler on the under surface of the body, and 
fading into a yellow tint. The back is often freckled 
with black, and sometimes the head is blue. Its 
f ivourite places of resort are tangled brushwood, brakes, 
and thickets, where it may be seen climbing the stems 
of the bushes with great facility, and feeding upon 
insects. It is a confident little creature, may be readily 
tamed, and taught to come to the hand for its food, 
and to drink from the hollow of the palm of any one to 
whom it is accustomed. It will lie coiled up between 
the two hands, enjoying the warmth, and not offering 
to escape. This little Green Lizard is often brought 
in cages to this country by Italians for show or sale. 
Its movements are very quick and graceful. Indeed, 
as Mr. Martin remarks, “ its beauty and gracefulness 
are such recommendations that it is often kept in cages. 
which should have an inner compartment, filled with 
dried moss or bran, amidst which it buries itself it. 
order to pass the winter.” “It seldom,” he, adds, 
“ attempts to bite; and, indeed, as we have experienced, 
its bite is a pinch scarcely to be felt.” It is very 
impatient of cold, and its chief delight is to lie and 
bask in the rays of the sun, in which it glitters with 
metallic effulgence. Its ordinary size is about fifteen 
inches, though individuals are occasionally met with 
one and a half feet long, the tail being usually twice 
I he length of the body. 
There are trvo species of Lizards found in Great 
Britain — the Sand Lizard and the Viviparous or Scaly 
Lizard. The first of these — 
THE SAND LIZARD {Lacet'la agilis) is smaller 
than the green lizard, and is short in proportion to its 
thickness. The legs are short, and the tail, wdiicli is 
rather thick and swollen at its root, is usually about 
one-third longer than the body. The usual length 
of the Sand Lizard is about seven or eight inches ; 
the bod}', including the head, measuring about three 
and a half, and the tail four and a half inches; but 
Mr. Bell has seen individuals in this country nearly a 
foot long. In colours, individuals vary very much ; in 
general, however, the tint of the upper parts is sandy- 
brown, with obscure longitudinal marks of a darker 
brown, and a series of black rounded spots down the 
sides, each spot marked with a white or yellowish dot 
in the centre. The sides are often tinged with green. 
It is a northern species, rarely occurring so far south 
as Italy, but not uncommon in the northern parts 
of France, and the middle districts of the European 
Continent ; it is not very frequent in this country, but 
extends as far north as Sweden and Denmark. Mr. 
Bell, in his excellent work on the “ British Reptiles,” 
informs us that the Sand Lizard is common in the 
neighbourhood of Poole in Dorsetshire, its general 
abode being on sandy heaths, “ where it is generally 
seen crossing the small by-paths with considerable 
swiftness.” It is also occasionally seen on the sunny 
sides of green banks, basking in tlie sun’s rays, and 
retreating quickly on the approach of any intruder. 
Mr. Martin says he has often seen it in this country in 
sandy places covered with brushwood, and in warm 
copses. “ It is quick and active, and its movements 
as it runs along are serpentine. When pursued, it 
makes for its burrow, or dives beneath the matted and 
thick herbage, escaping from sight with singular rapi- 
dity. If seized it will turn and bite, but its bite is very 
trifling. Unlike the green lizard, it is impatient of 
confinement, and soon pines to death, never becoming 
familiar.” The female lays her eggs, to the number of 
twelve or fourteen, in hollows in the sand, which she 
excavates for the pmqjose, and having covered them 
carefully with sand, she leaves tb.em to be hatched by 
the solar heat. The other British species — 
THE VIVIPAROUS or Scaly Lizard {Zootoca 
vivipara) is mueh smaller and more graceful in its 
movements than the sand lizard. The head is more 
depressed, the feet are more slender, and the body is 
more slim in general form. It is usually from five 
to six or six and a half inches long, and, though 
it varies much in markings, its ordinary coloui' is 
