some Serpents, but by actual alteration of tint, at the will of the animal. Most of them throw off the cuticle, at periodical intervals, which retains the form of every scale and plate, impressed convexly on the outer surface, and concavely on the inner. After the sloughing, the new surface is more brilliant than the old. The swift and bright-eyed little Lizards darting and leaping everywhere, in tropical countries, form an attractive feature of the scene, and are not regarded with the fear and disgust with which reptiles are foolishly regarded too often with us. Moore alludes to the beauty of these little creatures,—
"Gay Lizards glittering on the walls
Of ruin'd shrines, busy and bright,
As they were all alive with light."
The Families of the Sauria have been greatly multiplied by some zoologists: we shall prefer to consider them as seven in number; Chamæleonidæ, Geckotidæ, Iguanadæ, Agamadæ, Varanidæ, Lacertadæ, and Scincidæ.
Family I. Chamæleonidæ.
(Chameleons.)
This small but compact and well-defined Family is not only the most anomalous among Reptiles, but perhaps even amongst the whole range of Vertebrate animals. They are distinguished at once by the character of their feet, which is strictly Scansorial, and recalls the form which those organs assume in the Monkeys among Mammalia, and in the Parrots and Woodpeckers among Birds. The
