. Natural history. Zoology. 400 REPTILIA—ORDER III.— f'uj. 13,—FniLLED Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingi). ThiK long-tailed lizard, which grows to a length of over thirty inches, is an inhabitant of open sandy deserts, and is peculiar in that it habitually walks on its hind-legs alone. It does not, however, hop, but walks with a bold, swinging gait. Piobably the frill is given to the creature for the purpose of terrifying its enemies, as when alarmed this lizard sits up on its hind- limbs, expands the frill to its fullest extent, and shows its teeth ; its appear- ance is then distinctly a
. Natural history. Zoology. 400 REPTILIA—ORDER III.— f'uj. 13,—FniLLED Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingi). ThiK long-tailed lizard, which grows to a length of over thirty inches, is an inhabitant of open sandy deserts, and is peculiar in that it habitually walks on its hind-legs alone. It does not, however, hop, but walks with a bold, swinging gait. Piobably the frill is given to the creature for the purpose of terrifying its enemies, as when alarmed this lizard sits up on its hind- limbs, expands the frill to its fullest extent, and shows its teeth ; its appear- ance is then distinctly alarming, although the creature is per- fectly harmless to large ani- mals. From the preceding forms this lizard and a number of allied genera differ by hav- ing pores on the under surface of the body near the vent, or on the thighs, or in both of these situations. A closely re- lated species is the sad-tailed lizard {Lophurus amhoyiunsis) of the Malayan and Philippine Islands, in which the upper surface of the basal portion of the tail carries a huge vertical crest, while the nape and back are ornamented with a ridge of enlarged scales. This lizard, which has a compressed body, and an oUve- green ground-colour with irregular black markings, is an inhabitant of wooded districts near water, and if frightened, immediately plunges into the latter element. It is a vegetable feeder, and its flesh is stated to be tender and well-flavoured. The tail is an important part in distinguishing many of the lizards of this family, and its characters form an easy means of recognising the thorny- tailed lizards of Northern Africa and South-Western Asia, which constitute the genus Uromastix. Whereas the body is smoothly scaled, the whole of the rather short tail is invested with a series of rings of large scales eaoli armed with a thorn-like spine. They have very short and rounded heads; the drum of the ear is visible, and there are pores in front of the vent as well as on the thighs. A fea
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