41 
has a simple fiat head, but the last joint but one of the 
toes is dilated on the sides into a pear-shaped disc, so 
as to enable these animals to walk on smooth and nearly 
perpendicular surfaces. Of this genus there are many 
species.—Lastly, the marbled Lizards ( Polychrus ) have 
the ribs surrounding the abdomen, like the Anolis, but 
their toes are not dilated, and they have no dorsal crest. 
In the lower part of this Case (No. 3.) are the 
Geckos. These are Nocturnal Lizards, of a dull, lurid 
appearance, with depressed heads, and large round 
eyes. Their body is usually covered with small scales, 
amongst which are frequently larger tubercles, and the 
under side of their toes is generally furnished with 
variously shaped imbricated scales, or folds of the 
skin, which enable the animal to crawl up glass, 
and even to run with facility, the back downwards, 
on the ceiling of a room, like a fly. They are found 
in all parts of the world, and are divided into 
many groupes, according to the form of their toes. 
Some of the most peculiar are, the Common Gecko 
(Gecko guttatus), from India; the Chinese Gecko 
(Gecko Revesii), from China; and the Ornamented 
Gecko (Gecko ornatus), from Newfoundland. All 
these have only a single transverse series of scales, 
on the under side of each toe. Hardwicke’s Gecko 
(Eublepharis Hardwicldi) differs from the former, 
by the toes being more slender, and less dilated; 
one of the species, Horsfield’s Gecko (Pteropleura 
Horsfieldii) which lives in the ponds in Java, has the 
skin on the side of the chin, body, limbs, and tail dilated 
into a kind of fin. 
Many of the species of these Lizards, from their lurid 
appearance, are considered as poisonous by the natives 
of India, and some even assert that they infect every 
substance which they walk over, but this is, at least, 
extremely doubtful. 
Other species have the scales under the toes divided 
by a central groove, into which the claws are retractile 
(Thecadactylus ). One of these, the Smootli Sheath- 
claw 
ROOM X. 
Nat. Hist. 
