210 
ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 
galleries. Their worm-like bodies are of almost 
equal thickness throughout their length, and 
as the head is articulated to the body without 
any constriction at the neck, the two ends of 
the creature are very similar. 
Taking advantage of this fact, the natives in 
some parts exhibit the lizard as a two-headed 
snake. 
Of the sixty or seventy different species of 
these lizards, only one of them has any limbs. 
Known as the handed-amphisbsena, this reptile, 
which grows to a length of about seven inches, 
is found in California and Mexico. Its worm-like 
body is of a pinkish-brown tint, and a pair of 
absurdly small fore-legs is situated quite close 
to the head. 
Of the more typical forms, the spotted or 
sooty amphisbsena may be taken as an example. 
Receiving its name from the irregular-shaped 
and black markings upon its body, the creature 
will attain to a length of eighteen inches when 
fully grown. 
It is found in Tropical America and the West 
Indies, the natives of those parts calling it the 
“ mother of the saiibas ” owing to its curious 
habit of dwelling in the nests of those ants. 
Other burrowing and sightless reptiles are the 
blind-snakes, of which there are two distinct 
families, namely the Typhlopidce and the 
