Genus Thecadactylus (Cuv.).
The claw in this genus is completely retractile; the toes, which are widened throughout their length, being furnished with transverse plates beneath, which are divided by a deep longitudinal groove, to receive the claw. Those known have the innermost toe destitute of a claw, they have no femoral pores, and the tail is clothed with minute scales on both the upper and under surfaces.
The Smooth Sheath-claw (Thecadactylus lævis, Cuv.) has the transverse scales beneath the toes numerous: it is about nine inches in length, of a stout form, of a pale reddish hue, marked with transverse bands of brown; the sides are spotted with red, and there is over each shoulder a black patch with a white dot in the centre. The tail is vertically compressed towards the tip; but this organ is readily detached, not only by violence, but by the convulsive action of the reptile itself, if put alive into spirits. In this latter case the separated tail sometimes contracts and assumes an almost globular form. From having been seen in collections in this state, it has been supposed to be a distinct species, and has been named the Turnip-tailed Gecko (Gecko rapicauda). If the animal escape after having thrown off its tail, a new one will be reproduced in a short time, soon assuming the size and appearance of the old one, and leaving scarcely any trace of the misfortune, as we have proved in specimens in our own possession in captivity.
The Smooth Sheath-claw is a native of Jamaica,
