40 
L A C E R T A. 
plates a fpecies occurs which is a&ually marked with 
well-defined or regular llar-lhaped fpots. 
13. Lacerta Mauritanica, the Moorilh lizard: tail fhort, 
furrounded at the root with rings of pointed fcales, the outer 
end being fmooth; upper part of the body prickly; toes 
lamellate underneath, and deftitute of claws. Cepede and 
Shaw agree that this fpecies much refembles the gecko ; 
and therefore place it in the 6-th divifion, among the gec¬ 
kos; but Schneider infills that Cepede never faw the ani¬ 
mal, and that his gecketto is a different fpecies called dubia, 
which therefore we (hall defcribe in its place. The pre¬ 
fen t fpecies inhabits Mauritania and India. Beneath the 
thighs is a fhort row of papillse. The tail is flattifh be¬ 
neath, and covered with broad tranfverfe fcales; the prin¬ 
cipal or moll ftrongly marked verticilli are the fix upper 
■ones. 
There are two varieties. / 3 , With the tail entirely fur- 
rounded with prickly rings, y, With the body prickly 
all over. 
14. Lacerta azurea, the azure lizard : tail verticillate, 
fhort, with nutcronate fcales. The colour of this fpecies, 
in its natural or recent (late, feems to be an elegant pale 
Blue, fafciated on the body and tail with feveral tranfverfe 
and fomewhat-alternate bands either of black or very deep 
blue; but this is mo ft confpicuous in the fmaller fpeci- 
mens or varieties. It alfo appears to be fometimes met 
with of a plain colour, or with only a pair of fafciae on the 
•upper parts of the body. The head is rather obtufe ; the 
body moderately thick, and covered, as well as the limbs, 
-with very fmall fmooth fcales; the tail, on the contrary, 
which k of moderate length, is very diftindly and ftrongly 
verticillated by rows of large carinated fcales, the extre¬ 
mities of which projefl confiderably, fo as to form fo 
many fpitty points. It inhabits Africa; and is confidered 
by Linnaeus as connecting this divifion with the next. 
Of the variety (3 we have no account, y. This like- 
wife inhabits Brafil, and is called tecunhana. Many co¬ 
loured ftripes ornament the upper part of the body from 
.-the head to the tail ; the middle one of which, running 
along the back, is white, marked with brown dots; the relt 
.are of a pale blue with bright black fpots, and marked out 
with fmall yellow lines. The abdomen is variegated with 
blue and black. The i'.ead is of a pale blue with black 
fpots 5 but the thighs, feet, and toes, are marked with 
bright white ones ; the reft of the animal is of a pale blue. 
The tail is encircled by dark blue belts. 
L. acanthura, the fpine-tailed lizard, the quetzpa- 
Jeo of Seba,) is a variety of the azurea , if not the fpe¬ 
cies itfelf. A fpecimen of- this animal, which Dr. Shaw 
ogives as a diftinct fpecies, is preferved in the Britilh Mu- 
feum. Its length is about a foot and half, but it proba¬ 
bly grows to a confiderably larger fize. The head is co¬ 
hered with fomewhat fmall fub-hexagonal fcales, and is 
•very diftinflly marked off, as it were, from the body; be¬ 
neath the throat is a very confpicuous tranfverfe plait; and 
the whole Ikin alio, about the neck, throat, and beginning 
of the Aides, is, as Seba defcribes it, remarkably lax ; and it 
is probable that in the living animal the fkin beneath the 
throat may have a kind of pouched appearance, though 
entirely without any middle carina on that part. The 
other parts of the body, both above and below, are covered 
with very fmall fcales ; of which, however, thofe of the 
•under parts are rather larger than thofe of the upper. 
From the beginning of the neck to the origin of the tail 
■runs a feries of fhort denticulations, forming a ferrated 
ore ft of very flight elevation ; the tail is very long, and 
ftrongly marked into numerous verticilli, or rings, com- 
pofed of very long and very-ftrongly carinated fcales ; 
each terminating in a lengthened point, and thus caufing 
a fpiny appearance throughout the whole length of that 
part. The feet are all pentadaftylous, and the toes rather 
long: efpecially thofe of the hind feet^ the claws ftrong 
and lharp. The colour of this fpecies on the upper parts 
•js glaucous, variegated with a few fmall and fomewhat 
indiftinfl clouds and marbling of a whitifh caft ; the tail 
find under parts are of a pale or yellowifh white colour. 
15- Lacerta angulata, the angulated lizard : the tail 
-long and hexagonal ; the fcales carinate and mucronate. 
Linnseus, quoting Rolander, firft publifhed a defcription 
of this fpecies, which inhabits America. The head is re¬ 
markable, having the appearance of being cut abruptly at 
its hinder part, where the fkin forms feveral tranfverfe 
ridges. All the fcales covering the body are pointed, 
and have elevated ridges, except tnofe on the belly. The 
animal can erefl thele fcales at its pleafure, and is then 
all over briftled with fmall (harp fpines. The under part 
of the throat is covered by two large round fcales. The 
general colour of this fpecies is reddifli brown, and its fize 
is fmall. Inhabits America. 
16. Lacerta orbicularis, the orbicular lizard : tail round, 
three fpines on the top of the head, belly altnoft hemif- 
pherical. The body is fo bulky, efpecially at the fide* 
and belly, as to be almoft as broad as it is long; which 
has induced Linnreus, following other natural hiftorians, 
to give it the name of orbicularis. The belly is deftitute 
of tranfverfe bands, or femi-circular rows of fcales. The 
tail does not exceed the length of the body. The toes 
are covered with fcales both on their upper and under 
fur faces. The ground-colour is whitifti grey, more or 
lefs fpotted with brown or yellowilh. The orbicular li¬ 
zard is by no means an agreeable objeil: the thicknefs 
and general proportions of its body giving it very much 
the appearance of a toad, furnifhed with a tail and bel'et 
with prickles ; but the gentlenefs of its manners foon ef¬ 
faces its deformity, the effect of which is confiderably di- 
minifhed by the beauty of its colours. Its.prickles feem. 
only intended for defence, as' it never attempts to do the 
fmalleft injury. It becomes readily tame; allows itfelf to 
be handled, without ever offering to bite, and even feems 
fond of being careffed, appearing pleafed at being turned 
over and over. Some parts of its body are extremely fen- 
fible, particularly about the nofe and eyes, where, we are 
affured by fome writers, it bleeds on the flighteft touch. 
Ray informs us, that this innocent animal, dried and pow¬ 
dered, is ufed as a remedy in fome difeafes. Inhabits the 
warm parts of America. See Plate III. fig. 2. 
The variety (3 has a (hotter tail, and wants the three 
long fpines on the head ; and to this variety feems properly- 
applied the name tapayaxin, which Cepede gives to the 
fpecies. It inhabits New Spain, but is very rare and un¬ 
common. The whole body, head, feet, and tail, are 
rough with bright Ihining prickles like the points of nee¬ 
dles ; it is alfo covered with very-clofely united fquamte 
of various colours, as white, dark brown, reddifli, grey, 
cinereous, and flelh-colour. Its toes are armed with very 
lharp black and crooked nails, and beautifully covered 
with fquamae to the very ends, and variegated like mar¬ 
ble. The head is Ihort, hard, and triangular, blunted 
from the forehead, very much like that of the cameleon 5 
from the root of the noltrils above the eyes, which are 
very long and bright, is extended along the forehead 
fomething prominent refembling a Ihield, reaching thence 
to the neck, and uniting with the back. 
17. Lacerta bafilifeus, the bafililk: tail long; a radiated 
dori'al and caudal fin, and pointed occipital creft. The 
bafililk of the ancients, fuppofed to be the mod malignant 
of all poifonous animals, and of which the very afpeft 
was faid to be fatal, is a fabulous exillence, to be found 
only in the reprefentations of painters and poets. With¬ 
out citing other deferiptions, it may be fufficient to quote 
that of Lucan, who, with true poetic licence, reprefents 
the bafililk exerting his terrific glance in the burning de- 
ferts of Africa, and obliging the reft of the poifonous 
tribe to preferve an humble diftance : 
Sibilaque effundens cunflas terrentia pcjles. 
Ante venena nocens, late fibi fubmovet omne 
Vulgus, et in vacua regnat bafilifeus arena. 
Then fiercely hiding through the poifon’d air 
The bafililk exerts his deatbful glare ; 
At diftance bids each vulgar pelt remain, 
And reigns foie monarch of his fultry plain. 
But 
