The Living Animals of the World, Volume II: Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians, Fishes, Jointed Animals, Molluscs, etc.

SOUTH AFRICAN GIRDLED LIZARD. what over one hundred species. While the Remarkable for the spiny armature, which is arranged in concentric majority agree with the teguexin in the pOS-eirdles - session of well-developed limbs, there are a few

retrograde forms in which the hinder limbs are entirely absent or the front ones reduced to mere stumps. These exceptional instances pave the way to the family of the Amphisbasnas, in which such or a still lower phase of limb development represents the normal condition. The Amphisbaenas are remarkable for their worm-like resemblance, and for the circumstances that they live like earth-worms in burrows, that their eyes are function - less (being concealed beneath the skin), and that they are without ears. Other

Photo by W. F. Dando, F.Z.S.] [Regents Park, details of structure indicate a most ARIZONA HELODEEM (POISONOUS LIZARD). rudimentary condition of development, In the warted texture of its skin-surface the heloderm differs conspicuously from other lizards. and they consequently rank as the lowest group in the Lizard series. isAnother peculiarity of the Amphisbsenas is that, in place of scales, the skin of the body divided into square segments, which form symmetrical rings like those of worms. In addition to this, these retrograde lizards possess the worm-like faculty of being able to move backwards and forwards in their burrows with equal facility. It is from this peculiar property that theii is derived. The representatives of thistitle of Ainphisbsena, signifying " moving both ways," infamily, including between sixty and seventy species, are widely distributed, being found America, the West Indies, Africa, and also European countries that border the Mediterranean.

While the Teguexins present resemblanfces in one direction with the Amphisbsenas, or Worm-like Lizards, the higher or Monitor-lik* forms have much in common with the Typical or True Lizards, of which two small but \Wl-known species the SAND- and VIVIPAROUS LIZARDS are indigenous to the British Isles. All the members of the True Lizards, numbering some hundred species, are inhabitants of the Old World, becoming scarce, however, towards the far east of the Asiatic Continent. All possess shapely bodies and well-developed limbs with five-toed feet, and are remarkable for the extreme activity of their movements, and in many cases brilliant colouring. The varying individual shades of the GREEN LIZARD'S brilliant emerald body are almost infinite, no two being quite precisely alike in this respect. In some a yellower, in others a bluer green predominates, while the females and young are more or less mottled or striped with brown. The under surface of the body is usually a more or less bright yellow, and the throat, in the males more particularly, at the breeding-season is frequently brilliant blue. The more conspicuous colour differences exhibited by this lizard are, however, intimately associated with the local habitat of the particular

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.] [Parson's Green. race. Those indigenOUS to Spain WHITE MONITOR. and Portugal, for example, are more

This and other allied species appear to be dead as they lie basking in the sun. or leSS Ornamented with OCellated Spots

Photo by the New York Zoological Society.

THE WEST AFRICAN PYTHON.

This splendid snake is said to grow to a length of over twenty feet, although such giants are only occasionally met with.

UNIV. OF

CALIFORNIA

Lizards 577 along the sides of the head and body, while those peculiar to Eastern Europe and Asia Minor are, in the young condition more particularly, marked with longitudinal streaks, but their throat is never blue. The green lizard is one of the most beautiful of its tribe, and, although not indigenous to Great Britain, is common in the Channel Islands. In Jersey, more especially during the summer months, it is one of the most familiar of the " common objects of the country," as it darts in and out of the hedgerows after flies and other insects, or basks in the bright sunshine on some Photo by H. G. F. Spurrell, Esq.] [Eoustbourne.

GREEK LIZARD.

stone wall, with its emerald-green body The tail of the green lizard is brittle, and breaks off in the hand if the animal flattened out in order to absorb the is held up by it. A new tail grows from the fractured joint in course of time. greatest possible amount of heat. As the colder autumn days advance this lizard is rarely visible, and it finally retires into -some rocky cleft or burrow in the hedge-bank, and is no more seen until the return of spring. Green lizards, liberated in suitably mild spots in the South of England, have been known to thrive for brief periods, but succumb to the cold of an extra-severe winter.

The largest representatives of the green lizard are those inhabiting Eastern Europe and Asia Minor, where in size and colour they almost imperceptibly merge into the PEARLY or OCELLATED LIZARD. This very handsome species, which, in company with examples of the green lizard, is frequently imported by London dealers, ranges from 16 inches to close upon 2 feet in length. In form it is stouter and more robust than a typical green lizard, the head in the old males more particularly being exceptionally massive. Whatever may be lacking in grace of form is, however, fully compensated for by brilliancy of colouring, i no other lizard, in fact, out-rivalling it in this respect. To the brilliant shagreen-patterned emerald-green hues of the Jersey species it has superadded along its sides eye-like spots of brilliant turquoise or ultra-marine, with dark brown or black encircling lines. In the males the green ground-colour has a more distinctly golden hue, while in the young individuals the body is more usually olive-colour, dotted throughout with whitish or pearly-blue, black-edged spots.

Photo by W. SavilU-Kent, F.Z.S.] [MUfard-on-Sea. This beautiful lizard is OCELLATED LIZARDS AT HOME. unfortunately somewhat irascible in temper, and willThe most brilliantly coloured of living lizards. The body is bright emerald-green, decorated on the sides with azure-blue spots. not as a rule allow itself to 73

be handled as freely as the majority of the members of its tribe; when biting, moreover,, it has a tendency to fasten itself upon the object seized with bulldog-like tenacity, a grip from a powerful-jawed old male being a somewhat unpleasant experience. In addition to insects the ocellated lizard will prey upon any other small animals it can overpower, including the members of its own species; it is consequently not safe to entrust it in the company of other lizards of less size and strength.

The Skink Family, which next invites attention, contains no less than 400 known species, and, climatic conditions being favourable, enjoys an almost cosmopolitan distribution. The majority of its members have stoutish cylindrical bodies, with relatively short limbs and tail;. the legs are sometimes reduced to two only, or altogether aborted, giving the animal a snakelike form.

The COMMON or "MEDICINAL" SKINK so called since it was regarded in the Middle Ages as an infallible medicinal nostrum is an inhabitant of North Africa, and notable for its is short, cylindrical, exceedingly smoothadaptation to a sand-burrowing existence. The body through the close apposition of the minute surface-scales, and sharply conical at each extremity, The well-developed toes of all four feet are flattened and serrated at their edges in such a manner that they constitute most effective burrowing-tools in the loose sand these lizards is ratherfrequent. The length of this skink rarely exceeds 3 or 4 inches. Its colour exceptional for a lizard, but at the same time in keeping with its predominating subterranean habits. The ground-tint in the living examples in the writer's possession, one of which is photographed on page 579, was a light yellowish-white, like that of old polished ivoryr with here and there a pale flesh-pink tinge. On the under-surface this light tint was persistent, while the back was traversed by some twelve broadish bands of pale slate-grey. The skink does not, like the mole and the Amphisbaenas, obtain its food from subterranean sources. It comes out to bask on the surface of the sand when the sun is at its height, and keeps a brisk look-out for flies or other insects, which, if they approach sufficiently near, are pounced upon with remarkably agility. Should the sky become overcast or any cause for alarm manifest itself, the skink disappears beneath the sand as though by magic, not infrequently burrowing down to a depth of several feet. Even at the present day the skink is esteemed by the Arabs both for medicine and food, and in the latter association, well broiled, has won the commendation of European palates. One of the most bizarre members of the Skink Family hails from Australia, where it is known as the STUMP-TAILED LIZARD. The most remarkable feature in this form is the shortness and roundness of the caudal appendage, the contour and proportions of which,, in fact, so nearly. J correspond with those of the Photo by W. Saville-Kcnt, F.Z.S.] [MUford-on-Sea. head that it was originally described. by* its,. RONTGEN RAY PHOTOGRAPH OP OCELLATED LIZARD. The remarkable length and slenderness of the bones of the hind feet are discoverer, Captain. William Dampier, J:lust over weii illustrated by this photograph. three centuries ago, as a double-headed animal.

Lizards 579 : " The land animals weTo quote his own quaint de- scription saw here [Sharks' Bay] included a sort of guanos of the same shape and size with other guanos, but differing from them in three remarkable particulars, for these had a larger and uglier head, and had no tail, and at the rump, instead of a tail there, they had a stump of a tail which appeared like another head, but not really, such being without mouth or eyes; yet this creature seemed by this means to have a head at each end." tailed lizard is usually on view A specimen of the stump-at the Kegent's Park Gardens, and will afford visitors an opportunity for its comparison in the flesh with Dampier's description, 'Fine specimens of the stump- tail will measure as much as 10 inches in length, and are Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., thick in proportion, the legs, however, being very small and MilJord-on-Sea. weak. The surface of the back is covered with large, over- COMMON SKINK. lapping scales, that, in conjunc-hue, conveytion with its customarily dark Lives andoutburrowswhen theinsuntheshines.sand, coming brown or blackish to it a marked resemblance to a long, imbricated fir-cone. On the under-surface the scales are in comparison very small; the colouring in this region is also usually light grey or yellow, variegated with darker reticulations.