L A C E R T A 
•cf'che L. paluftris ;and Dr. Shaw calls it the common newt, 
placing it immediately before that fpecies. His defcription 
is as follows : “ This, which is the frnalleft of the Britifh 
lizards, is altogether a terreitrial fpecies. It is commonly 
ieen in gardens, and not unfrequently in the neighbour¬ 
hood of dunghills, See. Italfo occafionally makes its way 
into cellars, in the manner of the flug, the toad, Sc c. 
Linnoeus, in the twelfth edition of the Syfiema Nature, 
feems to fuppofe it an inhabitant of the water during its 
young or larva ftate. I can, however, fafely affirm, that 
I have more than once met with fpecimens in perfeftly- 
dry fituations, and at a diftance from any waters, fo ex¬ 
tremely minute as fcarce to equal half an inch in length, 
and which yet appeared to differ in no refpedt, except in 
magnitude, from the full-grown animal. I am, therefore, 
inclined to fuppofe it a viviparous fpecies. Its general 
length is about three inches and a half; and its colour 
yellowilh brown above, with a double narrow dorfal line 
or ftreak of a deeper tinge; the under parts bright orange, 
I'potted with brown.” 
72. Lacerta Japonica, the Japanefe lizard : tail long 
and round, four toes on the fore-feet, claws on all ; a 
yellow ftripe on the back. A fmalliffi fpecies ; native of 
Japan. Colour livid brown above, with a broad dentated 
yellow ftripe from the hind head to the beginning of the 
tail; eyes linall; eye-lids large and rough; tail fomewhat 
compreffed at the tip; claws black. 
In the Memoirs of the Stockholm Academy, Thunberg 
deferibes a lizard, under the name of Lacerta Japonica, 
which Cepede confiders to be a variety of the falamander. 
That animal isalmoft black, with feveral irregular whitilh 
fpots on the upper part of the body and legs. The back 
has a longitudinal dirty white ftreak, divided into two 
jiear the head, and extending irregularly and narrowing 
to the extremity of the tail; this ftripe is fprinkled all 
over with fmall black fpots. It is moiily found in the 
mountains, and in ftony places, in which circumftance it 
refembles our falamander. The Japanefe attribute to this 
animal the fame ftimulant properties that have been fup- 
pofed poffeffed by the feink, and by the alk or water- 
newt; and, accordingly, numbers of thefe lizards may be 
feen at Jeddo, dried and hung up in the Ihops for fale. 
73. Lacerta deferti, the defert-lizard : tail longifh, 
round ; feet five-toed ; body black above, with fix longi¬ 
tudinal white lines. Length two inches or more ; the 
body white beneath; the Itripes of the back confift of ob¬ 
long fpots, and between the exterior ftripe and the next 
are five white fpecks ; native of the Ural defert. 
74. Lacerta quadrilineata, the four-lined lizard : tail 
long and round; four yellow lines on the body; fore feet 
four-toed, hind feet five-toed; claws hardly vifible. Ge¬ 
neral colour dark blue. Suppofed to be a native of North 
America. 
75. Lacerta taeniolata, the ribbon lizard : tail long and 
round; body marked above with black and white ftripes; 
beneath white. A fmall fpecies, much allied to the faf- 
ciata and others of this divifion. Covered entirely with 
fmooth rounded imbricated feales on all parts; colour 
chefnut brown above ; pale or whitilh beneath. On the 
back, from the head to the middle of the tail, fix narrow 
white linear ftripes, the intermediate fpaces of the central 
and lowermoft ftripes being black ; tail long and flender; 
limbs ftriped longitudinally with black; feet flender, five¬ 
toed- Native of New Holland. 
76. Lacerta punftata, the dotted lizard : tail round ; a 
double row of white fpots down the back; fore-feet four- 
toed ; no claws. This fpecies, according to Catelby, is 
an inhabitant of ponds, ditches, and other ftagnant wa¬ 
ters in Carolina, It is about five inches in length, with 
a rather large head; the fore feet have four, and the hind 
five, toes. Its colour is deep brown, with a double row 
of white fpots from the top of the head to the tail, where 
it becomes a fingle row to the end. 
77. Lacerta iputata, the fpitting lizard: tail round, 
middle-fized, with a longitudinal row of feales beneath ; 
Yea. XII. No. 811. 
Cl 
feet unarmed, five-toed ; body cinereous, with white bands 
above, before and behind edged with liver-colour. The 
following defcription of this fpecies is taken from a fpe- 
cimen fent to M. d’Antic from St. Domingo; and is com¬ 
pared with the account given by Sparrman of feveral in¬ 
dividuals from St. Euftatius, fent to the mufeum of the 
baron de Geer by M. Acrelius, u'ho received them at 
Philadelphia from that ifland. It is two inches Ion?, of 
which the tail is one inch. The whole furface of the body 
is very fmooth and Ihining, being dellitute of tranfverfe 
rows of feales on the belly. The ground-colour is whitilh 
on the under parts of the body, and grey, mixed with 
dark brown, on the upper. Several broad belts of dark, 
brown, almoft black, furround the head, body, and tail ; 
one of thele goes round the back of the head, one round 
the neck, direftly before the fore legs, two round the 
middle of the body, one direftly behind the hind legs, at 
the root of the tail, and five more round the tail ; a fimi- 
larly-coloured ftripe furrounds the upper jaw. The ex¬ 
ternal ears are either wanting altogether, or not apparent. 
The tongue is fiat, broad, and flightly fplit at the tip. 
The top of the head and muzzle are whitilh, fpotted with 
black. The legs are variegated with grey, black, and 
white. The feet have each five toes, which are garnilhed 
underneath with feales, being terminated by fmall fiat pel¬ 
lets, or fcaly plates, without any apparent claws. M. 
Acrelius informed the baron de Geer, that this fpecies in¬ 
habits the warm parts of America and its iflands, being 
found moftly in the lioufes, climbing among the beams 
and other wood-work. It is named, in fome of thefe dif- 
trids, the wood-Jlave. When not difturbed, it does no 
harm; but muft ever be looked at with circumfpedion, as 
it is eafily irritated. While running along the walls, if 
any perfon comes too near to look at it, it feems frighten¬ 
ed ; and, coming as near as poftible to the perfon it confi¬ 
ders as its enemy, it appears to look with great attention 
for a while, and then fquirts out a black fpittle to fome 
diftance. This liquor inflames and fwells any part of the 
body it happens to fall on. The inflammation is, howe 
ver, readily cured by walhing with rum, or any kind of 
fpirits, mixed with camphor; which is likewife the ufual 
remedy againft the fling of fcorpions. 
Along with this lizard, another fpecimen from St. Do¬ 
mingo was fent to M. d'Antic ; and fimilar fpecimens 
were contained in the fame bottle with the fpitting lizard 
in baron de Geer’s collection ; thefe we confider as only 
a variety of the fpitting lizard, perhaps differing in fex. 
This other lizard is of the fame fize and form, and only 
differs in colours; its upper parts being of a tolerably- 
uniform deepifh grey, variegated with very fmall longitu¬ 
dinal ftreaks of blackifh brown, and the under parts of 
the body being dirty grey, mixed with flelh-colour. In 
the fpecimen of this variety deferibed by Sparrman, the 
tip of the tail was deftitute of feales; probably owing to 
fome accident, as in M. d’Antic’s fpecimen the tail was 
wholly covered with feales. 
X. Belly covered with round imbricate ffi-like feales ; tongue 
entire. 
78. Lacerta fepiformis, the eft-like lizard: tail fhort; 
body greenilh-black; head armed; back flat; hind-thighs 
on the hinder-part covered with callous dots. 
79. Lacerta ftincus, the feink: tail round, middle- 
fized, laterally compreffed at the tip; toes edged with 
membranes, and deftitute of claws. This fpecies has Ion? 
been famous for an imaginary property of reftoring tx- 
haufted vigour, and rekindling the fires of love, when 
cooled by age or by excels; and, on this account it has 
been much in requeft in many parts. The Egyptian pea- 
fants catch great numbers, which they carry to Cairo and 
Alexandria, from whence they are diftributed through a 
great part of Weftern Alia. When recently killed, a 
juice is extracted from their bodies, which is employed as 
a medicine in feveral difeales; or the body, after beiim 
dried, is reduced to powder, and that powder is ufed in- 
R ftead 
