Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 1 (1843).djvu/133

Rh the sun, with its belly flattened as much as possible; a piece of heath was also placed in the box, about which it was very fond of climbing. During the first three weeks it was fed entirely on flies, which it devoured greedily after the first three days' confinement; always rejecting their heads and wings: however, finding a difficulty in procuring a sufficient quantity of flies, I obtained some meal-worms, to which it soon became very partial. The manner of seizing them was thus; creeping quietly up to the worm it drew back its head, leaning it on one side for an instant, and then darting it forward with its whole force, it seized the victim by the middle, and held it so until it ceased struggling, when it ate it very slowly. After a short time it would take the meal-worms from my hand, but would never touch dead ones. Every morning it had a swim in a basin of water; this I considered conducive to its health: it continued to do so until it ceased eating, four or five days previously to becoming torpid.

On the 28th of July of the same year I received another specimen from the same locality; and I may here mention that I have diligently searched other heaths, but without success. The change of the skin took place about every six weeks, and was effected by rubbing it off against the heath, not after the manner of the serpent, by turning it off, but the skin, splitting along the sides, broke off in several pieces, the skin of the legs separate from any part of the body; the skin of the tail split the whole length underneath, and broke off in pieces of two or three whorls each. I could never find the skin of the head, neither do I think it was ever shed: I am convinced that it never was blind, and shedding the skin did not appear to occasion it any inconvenience whatever.

About the first week in October both my lizards began to refuse their food, which induced me to leave off bathing them, and they retreated between the baize and the side of the box on the 1 3th of the same month; I saw nothing more of them during the winter. On the 12th of February they were evidently arousing, their eyes being a little open; the next day they were very lively, but through neglect in feeding them they both died in the ensuing month.

They never attempted to bite, as did a specimen of the viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara) which was confined with them, and after the first three or four days they were very gentle; they were not nearly so timid as the Zootoca, neither were they so agile; if taken in the hand they would immediately crawl up the sleeve. The action of drinking was like that of a dog, but more slowly performed. The tongue was never used in catching their food; sometimes they would get too near