820 Marvels of the Universe 
umbrella, renders the Frilled Lizard quite unmistakable, and distinguishable at a glance from all 
the other members of the scaly four-footed tribe. When at rest, the frill or cape is not particularly 
conspicuous, lying folded back along the reptile’s neck and shoulders. It needs, however, only a 
shock of surprise or rage to cause the whole frill to be suddenly erected and expanded, so as to form 
a large disc-like structure, some ten inches across, standing out at right angles to the neck, and 
having the open-mouthed head in the centre. When thus expanding its frill, the reptile usually 
sits up, and turns boldly towards the intruder by whom it has been disturbed, with the evident 
intention of intimidating him by its formid- 
able appearance ; the effect being intensified 
by the formidable series of teeth with which 
the jaws are armed, the bright yellow colour 
of the interior of the mouth, and the loud 
hissing sound which proceeds from _ the 
throat. That all this has a terrifying effect 
on other animals can scarcely be doubted, 
and in many instances it probably serves to 
protect the reptile from attack. In the case 
of captive specimens the frill is often ex- 
panded on very slight provocation; and 
in some instances the opening is only of 
momentary duration, so that the whole 
action is almost flash-like. 
In human beings the Frilled Lizard is 
calculated to inspire curiosity rather than 
terror, as its total length is only about a yard, 
of which eight or ten inches is occupied by the 
head and body, and the remainder by the long 
whip-like tail. The general colour of the rough 
granular skin is a mixture of olive, brown, 
and dull slaty grey, with tinges of yellow. 
As already mentioned, the original speci- 
men captured by Mr. Cunningham was found 
on the branch of a tree, and according to 
an American naturalist, Mr. Ditmars, who 
has kept specimens in captivity, this is the 
general habit of the species; his examples 
persistently scampering over the boughs of 
A Sleeping Sickness-carrying Tsetse-fly as seen when at rest. 0 Old cedar-tree placed in their cage, and 
(Five and a half times natural size.) Note the wings closed one seldom descending to the gravel with which 
over the other like the blades of a pair of scissors. 
A TSETSE-FLY WITH FOLDED WINGS. 
the floor was strewn. 
If removed from the branches and placed on the floor of the cage, and then suddenly startled, 
they would, however, rear themselves on their hind-limbs, with the frill tightly folded and the fore- 
limbs pressed close to the chest, and start running in this posture. And it appears from the graphic 
accounts given by an Australian naturalist—the late Mr. Saville Kent—that in the more desert 
districts of Queensland the Frilled Lizards are habitually terrestrial, and may frequently be seen 
running at a great pace on their hind-legs, with long strides, in a manner which gives them an 
irresistibly comic appearance. It has, however, to be confessed that Mr. Kent made rather too 
much of this peculiar action, being apparently unaware that it is common to several species of 
lizards belonging to totally distinct groups ; and when he went on to argue that the assumption of 
