LACI 
fometimes fight with great violence; theyapproach each other 
boldly, agitating their heads in a menacing pofture ; the 
protuberance on the breaft and the throat become inflated ; 
their eyes feetn on fire with rage ; and at laft they attack 
each other with fury. When one of the combatants is 
worked, it runs off, and is purfued by the viftor, who 
devours his enemy, if he can feize him; the purfuer often, 
however, catches hold of the runaway by the tail, which 
breaks off; and, while he flops to fwallow this part, the 
vanquifhed enemy gets time to efcape. Other lizards of 
the fame fpecies very often Hand quiet fpeclators of this 
combat; thefe are probably females, which await the event, 
and become the prize of the vidlor. Individuals of this 
fpecies are often met with that have loft their tails, pro¬ 
bably in thefe combats. Thefe mutilated lizards are ti¬ 
mid, weak, and languid ; a kind of callus or cicatrix 
forms at the part where the tail has been broken away; 
for the tail is not always reproduced when loft. 
VI. Scarcely any claws ; fublolate , Jive-tocd ; body warty. 
35. Labrus vittata, the white-ftriped lizard: tail round 
and long ; a white dorfal ftripe forked over the head. 
Length feven or eight inches, and of a fomewhat flender 
form. The head is large in proportion to the body 5 the 
limbs of moderate length ; and the tail, which is nightly 
verticillated towards the bafe, is rather flender, and fcarcely 
equal to the body in length ; the toes are Iamellated be¬ 
neath, marked by a fulcus or middle divifion, and termi¬ 
nated by curved claws. This fpecies is readily diftin- 
guiflied from all others yet difeovered by its colours ; be¬ 
ing of a yellowifli brown, marked on the back, from head 
to tail, by a very diftinft white band, which on the head 
divides into a forked appearance, and at the commence¬ 
ment of the tail into two fhort rounded tips ; the flender 
part of the tail, commencing beyond the three firft rings, 
is of the fame pale or white colour, marked longitudinally 
with feveral fhort brown fcattered ftreaks. The whole 
ripper furface of the animal is befet with extremely fmall 
tubercles, fo minute as not to be perceived without a clofe 
infpedlion. It is faid to be a native of India. 
36. Lacerta tetradaclyla, the four-toed lizard : yellow, 
varied with green, with tetradaftyle feet, and flat tail. 
This was firft deferibed by Cepede, from an account com¬ 
municated by Monf. Bruyeres. It is very nearly allied 
to the preceding, but differs in wanting the fimbriated 
margin, and in the number of the toes on the fore feet, 
which are only four. Its length is about twelve inches. 
The head is flat and oblong; the eyes large, with the pu¬ 
pils vertical ; the neck long, and covered above with a 
double row of yellow feales; the back with a granulated 
yellow (kin, marked with green fpots or variegations; the 
abdomen is covered with yellow feales ; in the form of 
the feet and tail it agrees with the L. fimbriata, except, as 
before obferved, in having only four toes on the fore feet, 
for which reafon Cepede has ftationed it among the fala- 
manders. It is a native of Madagafcar, where it is held 
in equal deteftation with the fimbriated lizard. Its native 
name is fiarroube. It inhabits woods, and appears chiefly 
during the rainy feafon, and by night. 
37. Lacerta tridadlyla, the three-toed lizard: a new 
fpecies added by Cepede. It is allied to the falamander, 
but is furnifhed with ribs, and has only three toes on each 
of the fore feet, while the hind feet have each four toes. 
It was found by Mailli marquis de Nefle, on the crater of 
Mount Vefuvius, furrounded by the burning lava of that 
volcano; which circumftance might be confidered by 
fome people as a proof of the power of refitting the force 
of fire, which has been attributed to the falamander. But 
it is extremely probable, that the lingular fituation in 
which this animal was difeovered proceeded only from ac¬ 
cident; as it can fcarcely be conceived, that any animal 
whatever could exift for any length of time among the 
burning lava. It may, however, inhabit the neighbour¬ 
hood of the crater; as great heat feeins congenial with 
VOL. XII. No. 810. 
I R T A. 49 
the nature of the lizard tribe in general. The head is 
flat on the top, and rounded at the muzzle. The tail is 
longer than the head and body, and tapers to the tip, be¬ 
ing frequently rolled up at the end. The colour is dark 
brown, mixed with reddilh on the head, feet, tail, and 
under parts of the body. The fpecimen brought from 
Italy by M. de Nefle was fo much dried, that its verte¬ 
bras and ribs could be diftiniftly counted. The head mea- 
fured three lines in length, the body nine, and the tail 
fixteen lines and a half. 
38. Lacerta Turcica, the Turkilh lizard : colour grey- 
ilh-brown ; fomewhat rough; tail middling length, and 
irregularly ringed. A fmall fpecies, firft deferibed by Ed¬ 
wards ; native of the eaftern regions ; head rather large j 
body thickifh ; tail rather fhort, thickifh at the bafe, and 
pointed at the tip ; the whole animal roughened on the 
upper furface with fmall granules or tubercles ; colour 
dull brown, fomewhat paler on the under parts. 
39. Lacerta gecko, the gecko: tail round, middle fize; 
toes lobate, with hardly any claws ; body warty above, 
ears very open. The gecko, faid to be fo named from the 
found of its voice, which refembles the above word uttered 
in a fhrill tone, is a native of many parts of Alia and Africa, 
as well as of fome of the warmer regions of Europe. It 
is one of the middle-fized lizards, meafuring, in general, 
about a foot in length, or rather more. It is of a thicker 
and ftouter form than moft other lizards, having a large 
and fomewhat triangular flattifh head, covered with fmall 
feales; a wide mouth, large eyes, minute teeth, and a 
broad flat tongue. The limbs are of moderate length, 
and the feet are of a broader form than in many of the 
genus, each toe being dilated on the margins, and divided 
beneath into a great number of parallel tranfverfe lamel¬ 
lae, without any longitudinal mark or furrow; all the 
toes, except the thumbs, are furniftied with fmall claws ; 
the tail, which is generally longer than the body, is marked, 
more or lefs diftinctly, according to the age of the animal, 
into divifions or verticillated rings ; the whole animal is 
covered on the upper parts with numerous diftant round 
warts or prominences, approaching more or lefs to an acute 
form in different individuals, and fometimes obtufe; be¬ 
neath each thigh is a row of perforated papillm, as in the 
green lizard and many others; the under parts of the body 
are covered with feales of fomewhat diflimilar appearance, 
but all approaching to a round figure. See fig. 9. 
According to Bontius, the general colour of this fpe¬ 
cies is bright green, fpotted with very brilliant red; and 
the fame naturalift afferts, that the name of gecko is in 
imitation of the cry which it always emits before rain. It 
is found in Egypt and India, in Amboyna, the other 
Molucca Iflands, and other hot countries, keeping moftly 
in the hollows of rotten trees, and in damp places. It 
even fometimes comes into houfes, where it excites fo 
great dread, on account of its venomous properties, that 
the inhabitants ufe every exertion to deftroy it as foon as 
poflible. Bontius relates, that its bite becomes certainly 
mortal in a few hours, unlefs the part bitten be burnt or 
cut out immediately. The blood of the gecko, and its 
faliva, or more properly a kind of thick and frothy yel¬ 
low liquor, which diftils from its mouth, when irritated, 
or when it flutters any violent emotion, are confidered as 
mortal poifons ; and both Bontius and Valentyn inform 
us, that the inhabitants of Java employ thefe liquors to 
poifon the points of their arrows. Haflelquift afferts, that 
the toes likewife of this terrible lizard give out a poifon- 
ous liquid, and that it is very apt to run over any fub- 
ftance that is impregnated with fea-falt, on which it 
leaves a very dangerous poifon. He flaw three women at 
Cairo, who had very nearly loft their lives from having 
eaten fome cheefe, lately falted, on which a gecko had de- 
pofited its poifon. He was farther convinced of the cor- 
rofive nature of the fluid which oozes from the feet of 
this animal, by having feen the hand of a perfon over 
which a gecko had run, when attempting to catch if; 
O every 
