Monitoks. REPTILES. Lack Lizaud.s 
of the middle size, which, together with its two 
young ones, I brought home witli me from Agter 
Brunijes-lioogte^ was al)out two feet long in the body, 
and three in the tail. Having caught her by the neck, 
so that she could not bite me, and finding that it 
required some strength to hold her fast, I got a large 
worsted needle, and gave her several punctures with 
it, not only in the heart, but in every part of the 
cranium which was in contact with the brain. This, 
however, was so far from ariswering my purpose, 
which was to kill her in the most speedy and least 
painful manner, without mangling or mutilating her, 
that she seemed still to have life enough left to be able to 
run away. After this my host undertook to put an end 
to her ; and after having given her several hai'd squeezes 
abbut the chest, and tied her feet together, he hung her 
up by the neck in a noose, which he drew as close as he 
possibly could. From this situation she was found in 
the space of forty-eight hours to have extricated her- 
self, though she still remained near the farm, appearing 
at the same time to be almost entirely exhausted. 
Upon this, we tied her feet close behind her, so that 
with her long and sharp claws, of which she had five 
upon each foot, she could not damage the serpents and 
other animals wIiIl'Ii I kept in a cask of brandy, and 
among which I put her with mj'' own hands, holding 
her a long time under the surface of the li(juor ; yet she 
was so far from being suffocated immediately by the 
strength of the liquor, that she flounced about a good 
deal in it ; and even a quarter of an hour afterwards, 
convinced us by her motions that she had still some life 
remaining in her.” “ This species of lizard,” he con- 
tinues, “ I found to bo amphibious, living in water as 
well as on land, and likewise that it grew to a still 
greater size ; consequently, it appears to be an extremely 
long-lived animal, and, as well on account of this 
property, as of that of not being killed without great 
difficulty, to have an important office assigned it in the 
genei’al s^'stem of the economy of nature. It was sup- 
posed (and not without foundation) by the people among 
whom I resided, that this creature might easily be made 
tame, and that it was not in the least of a malignant or 
venomous nature.” A large j'eptile, probahlj" a nearly 
allied species of this genus, was found on the banks of 
the Tigris, by the gentlemen engaged with Colonel Sir 
Henry Kawlinson in excavatiiig the ruined mounds of 
Babylon. Tlie account given to the writer of this, of 
the extraordinary tenacity of life exhibited by the 
unfortunate animal, bordered on the marvellous. After 
being firmly secured, deep gashes were made right 
across the spinal column in several places, without 
destroying or apparently injuring its motive power. A 
large quantity of strong prussic acid was then poured j 
down its throat, but without any rcsidt. It was then | 
placed in a large tub of water with a weight attached, 
so as to keep it sunk to the bottom, and it was allowed 
to remain there for twenty-four hours. This seemingly 
having the effect desired, and life appearing at last to 
be extinct, it was taken out of its watery tomb and laid 
on the ground, preparatory to its skin being removed 
in order to make a stuffed specimen for the British 
Museum. No sooner, however, had the operator made 
his first cut with the scalpel through the skin, than, | 
Von. II. 58 
h 
suddenly recovering its suspended animation, and 
shaking itself loose from his hands, it made with all 
haste to the river ! 
THE ■WHITE-THROATED MONITOR {Rcgcnia nllo- 
gularis) is another aquatic species of this family, which 
grows to the length of five feet, and is found in South 
Africa. It is an inhabitant of rocky places abounding 
in springs and streams, and feeds upon frogs, crabs, 
and small quadrupeds. It is regarded as sacred by the 
natives, who assert it cannot be injured without fear of 
producing a drought. Sir A. Smith met with this 
reptile in his South African expedition. “ Though no 
specimens of this species,” he says, “ were obtained 
South of Lattakoo, yet there is reason to believe that 
it occurs occasionally within the limits of the Cape 
Colony. It is in all probability the animal called Das 
Adder by the natives, and which is much dreaded, 
under the idea of its being very venomous. It is 
usually discovered in rocky [)laces, or on low, stony, 
hills ; and when surprised seeks concealment in the 
chinks of the former, or in the irregular cavities of the 
latter. When any inequalities exist upon the surface 
of the rocks or stones, it clas[)s them so firmly with its 
toes that it becomes a task of no small difficulty to dis- 
lodge it. Under such circumstances, the strength of 
no one man is able to withdraw a full-gTOwn individual ; 
and I have seen two persons required to pull a speci- 
men out of a position it attained, even by the assistance 
of a rope round one of its hinder legs. The moment 
it was dislodged it flew with fury at its enemies, who 
by flight only saved themselves from being bitten.” — 
The terrestrial Monitors, or those which live exclusively 
in dry places, are few in number. 
THE OUARAN, or Land Monitor of Egypt 
{Psammosaurus Scuicus), is the best known. This 
species is about three feet long, and is distinguished 
by its tail being round, without any keel, and con- 
siderably more slender than that of the Nilotic 
species, the scales of the greater part of the body 
being round instead of oval, and the teeth being- 
very small, very fine, and very sharp. Its general 
colour is of a clear brown, with square spots inter- 
spersed of a pale greenish-yellow. It is a native of 
the dry and arid deserts of Egypt, and is called by 
the Arabs, Ouoran el-hard, or Lizard of the Desert. 
Herodotus makes mention of it, and calls it the 
Terrestrial Crocodile. This species is less voracious 
than the Monitor of the Nile, and in capti^'ity refuses 
food, and can only be made to take nourishment by 
forcing it to swallow what is put into its mouth. Tra- 
vellers in Egypt, however, inform us that it is used by 
the jugglers of Cairo for performing their tricks, after 
having extracted its teeth. 
THE GIGANTIC LACE LIZARD {Hydrosa.urus gigan- 
teus). Two or three remarkable species of IMonitors 
occur in Australia, known by the name of Lace Liz- 
ards (Hydrosaurus). They have the nostrils placed 
near the apex of the muzzle; their teeth are compressed, 
sharp-edged, and denticulated; and their tail has a 
double-edged keel on the upper part. They are very 
prettily variegated, and one species, the Gigantic Lace 
Lizard, is remarkably handsome. A specimen may be 
seen in the British Museum seventy-eight inches long. 
