Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 14.djvu/758

 734 LIZARD Terrestrial Australian genera : Chelosania, Gindalia, Chlamydosaurus, Lopho- gnathus, Diporophora, Grammatophora, Tympanocryptis, Moloch. Terrestrial African, Indian, and Asiatic genera : Stelho, Agama, Cfiarasia, Trapelus, Brachysaura, Phrynocephalus, Megalochilus, Centrotrachelus, Lroma- styx, Liolepis, Chalarodon. Second Suborder. Chamsdeonoidca. Vcrtcbrx proccelian ; a bar crossing from the parietal to the mastoid; temporal bar complete. No columdla. Parietal bone single. ._ . . Family 1. ChamsdcontidiK. Body granular. Toes 5-5, formed into two grasping opposable groups. Tongue very long, worm- shaped, very extensile. Exclusively arboreal. Africa and Mada gascar, one species extending into Europe and India. Genera : Chaimeleon, Rhampholeon. Third Suborder. Nyctisaura. Vertebra; amphiecelian; orbital ring and temporal bars not de veloped. A columdla. Parietal bone paired. Family 1. Geckotidx. Upper parts granular, rarely with scales ; lower parts covered with imbricate scales. Tongue thick, short, slightly notched in front. Eyes large, without (very rarely with) eyelids. Body depressed. Toes frequently with a _ more or less developed adhesive apparatus. Tropical and subtropical regions. Genera with a wide range : Hemidactylus (Peripia), Phyllodactylus (not ex tending into the Indian region), Diplodactylus (Tropical America, Australia, and Africa), Thecadactylus (Tropical America and Australia), Platydactylus (Africa and Australia), Heteronota (Indian and Australian regions), P/ielsuma (Indian and African regions). Tropical American genera : Caudicerbcra, ArisMhyer, Sphserodactylui, Jlomo- nota, Goniodactijlus. Some of these genera go beyond the limits of the tropics southwards or northwards. New Zealand genus : NauUimis. Australian genera: (Edura, lihynchcedura, Strophura, Stenodactylopsis, Cor- relophus, Ceratolophus, Gehyra, Nephrurus, Phyllurus. Indian genera : Spathodactylus, Callodactylus, Ptyo lactylus. Jfycteridium, Pentadactylus, Gecko, Luperosaums, Ptychozoon, Eublrpharis, Geckoetla, Cyrto- dactylu?, Gymnodactylus, Teratolepis. African genera: Parcedura, Ebenavia, Khoptroput, Uroplates. Tfieconyr, Tarentola, Pachydactylus, Psilodactylus, Pristiurus, Stenodactylus, Chondrodac- tylus, Geckolepis, Spatalura. Europo-Asiatic genera : Bunopus, Ceramodactylus, Teratoscincus, Agamura. Tli ese inhabit only the southern parts of the region in Asia; representatives of some African or Indian genera (viz., Ptyodactylus, Tarentola, Gymnodacty ut, and Stenodactylus) likewise extend into this region. This list, from which, many subgenera have been excluded, will give an idea of the wide distribution of the order of lizards, and of the great variety of forms which it com prises. Indeed, in both respects, it far surpasses the other orders of reptiles. The scope of the present article does not permit us to enter into further taxonomic details, but a few notes may be added on some lizards, to which special interest is attached, or of which most frequent mention is made in general literature. The first family, that of Monitoridx, comprises very large lizards, the largest exceeding a length of G feet. Some are terrestrial, others semi-aquatic, the former having a rounded the latter a compressed tail with a sharp, saw-like upper edge, which assists them greatly in swimming, and at the same time forms a formidable weapon with which these powerful animals can inflict deep wounds on the incautious captor. They range all over Africa, the Indian region, and Australia; their prey consists of other vertebrate animals, small mammals, birds, frogs, fishes, and eggs. The young are prettily spotted with white and black ocelli, the old ones having a plainer coloration. The Monitor of the Nile (Monitor niloticus, fig. 1) is an FIG. 1. Monitor of the aquatic species, found in the neighbourhood of all large rivers of tropical Africa. The Arabs know it well under the name Waran (whence the generic name Varanus is derived), and it frequently appears also among the engrav ings and hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt, Some respect was and still is paid to it, as it is said to prey largely on the eggs of crocodiles. Another Monitor, the Waran el ard of the Arabs (Psammosaurua scincus), also inhabits North Africa, but is strictly terrestrial, and has a rounded tail. Most of the European lizards with four well-developed limbs belong to the genus Lacerta. They are of small size, and insectivorous. Their tongue is deeply cleft at the end, and ig frequently exserted when the animal is in a state of excitement from fear or anger. As in all the lizards of the family Lacertidse, their tail is easily broken, and as readily reproduced, the reproduced portion often assuming a monstrous or double shape, so that the animal appears to be provided with two tails. Only three species occur in Great Britain (see fig, 2). The Common Lizard (Lacerta vivipara) frequents heaths and banks in England and Scotland, and is locally met with also in Ireland ; it is ovoviviparous. Much scarcer is the second species, the Sand-Lizard (Lacerta agilis), which is confined to some localities in the south of England, the New Forest and its vicinity; it does not appear to attain on English soil to the same size as on the Continent, where it abounds growing sometimes to a length of 9 inches. Singularly, a Nile (Monitor niloticus). snake (Coronella Isevis), also common on the Continent, and feeding principally on this lizard, has followed it I across the British Channel, apparently existing in those ! localities only in which the sand-lizard has settled. This j lizard is oviparous. The males differ by their brighter green ground colour from the females, which are brown, FIG. 2. Heads of British Lizards, a, Lacerta vivipara; b, L. ay His ; c, L. viridis. spotted with black. The third British species, the Green Lizard (Lacerta viridis), does not occur in England proper ; it has found a congenial home in the island of Guernsey, but is there much less developed as regards size and beauty than in the countries south of the Alps and Pyre nees. This species is larger than the two preceding;