Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/40

BRITISH REPTILES on our list, as it attains a length of 12 to 15 inches, although larger specimens are not infrequently recorded. Green is the dominant colour above, with yellow below. It is a good climber, although its more usual habits mark it out as an earth-dweller. The eggs number from 8 to

10, and they are partly incubated inside the female before being deposited.

Wall Lizard.—Lacerta muralis (Fig. 8). The Wall Lizard attains an average length of 6 to 8 inches, and whilst colour-varieties are very numerous, the general dress may be given as brown or greyish on the upper parts, spotted or streaked with blackish. In some specimens a bronze-green sheen is present. The colour underneath is subject to much variation, such as pink, red, white, or yellow, and this may be self-coloured, or ornamented with spots of black. It resorts, as its specific name indicates, to walls. It is oviparous, and will come 24