the lizard, in zoology, a genus of amphibious animals belonging to the order of reptilia, the characters of which are these: The body is naked, with four feet, and a tail. There are 49 species, viz.

1. The crocodylus, or crocodile, has a compressed jagged tail, five toes on the fore-feet, and four on the hind-feet. This is the largest animal of the lizard kind. One that was dissected at Siam, an account of which was sent to the Royal Academy at Paris, was eighteen feet and a half long, of which the tail was no less than five feet and a half, and the head and neck above two and a half. He was four feet and nine inches in circumference where thickest.

The hinder legs, including the thigh and the paw, were two feet and two inches long; the paws, from the joint to the extremity of the longest claws, were above nine inches. They were divided into four toes; of which three were armed with large claws, the longest of which was an inch and a half, and seven lines and a half broad at the root. The fourth toe was without a nail, and of a conical figure; but was covered with a thick skin like shagreen leather. The toes were united with membranes like those of ducks, but much thicker.

The fore-legs had the same parts and conformation as the arms of a man, both within and without; but they were somewhat shorter than those behind. The hands had five fingers, the two last of which had no nails, and were of a conical figure, like the fourth toe on the hind paws. The head was long, and had a little rising at the top; but the rest was flat, and especially towards the extremity of the jaws. It was covered with a skin, which adhered firmly to the skull and to the jaws. The skull was rough and unequal in several places; and about the middle of the forehead there were two bony crests, about two inches high. They were not quite parallel, but separated from each other in proportion as they mounted upwards.

The eye was very small in proportion to the rest of the body, and was so placed within its orbit, that the outward part, when shut, was only a little above an inch in length, and run parallel to the opening of the jaws.

The nose was placed in the middle of the upper jaw, near an inch from its extremity, and was perfectly round and flat, being two inches in diameter, of a black, soft, spongy substance, not unlike the nose of a dog. The nostrils were in the form of a Greek capital ξ, and there were two caruncles which filled and closed them very exactly, and which opened as often as he breathed through the nose. The jaws seemed to shut one within another by means of several apophyses, which which proceeded from above downwards, and from below upwards, there being cavities in the opposite jaw to receive them. They had twenty-seven dog-teeth in the upper jaw, and fifteen in the lower, with several void spaces between them. They were thick at the bottom, and sharp at the point; being all of different sizes, except ten large hooked ones, six of which were in the lower jaw, and four in the upper. The mouth was fifteen inches in length, and eight and a half in breadth where broadest; and the distance of the two jaws, when opened as wide as they could be, was fifteen inches and a half. The skull, between the two crests, was proof against a musket ball, for it only rendered the part a little white that it struck against.

The colour of the body was of a dark brown on the upper part, and of a whitish citron below, with large spots of both colours on the sides. From the shoulders to the extremity of the tail he was covered with large scales of a square form, disposed like parallel girdles, and were fifty-two in number; but those near the tail were not so thick as the rest. In the middle of each girdle there were four protuberances, which became higher as they approached the end of the tail, and composed four rows, of which the two in the middle were lower than the remaining two, forming three channels, which grew deeper the nearer they came to the tail, and were confounded with each other about two feet from its extremity.

The skin was defended with a sort of armour, which, however, was not proof against a musket ball, contrary to what has been commonly said. However, it must be acknowledged, that the attitude in which it was placed might contribute not a little thereto; for probably, if the ball had struck obliquely against the shell, it would have flown off. Those parts of the girdles underneath the belly were of a whitish colour, and were made up of scales of divers shapes. They were about one sixth of an inch in thickness, and were not so hard as those on the back.

This creature lays eggs of the size of those of a goose, to the number of sixty; which she covers over with sand, and leaves to be hatched by the heat of the sun. They are to be met within the rivers Nile, Niger, and Ganges, besides most other large rivers in the southern parts of Asia, Africa, and America.

The crocodile is very destructive to the lower people of Upper Egypt, often devouring women who come to the river to fetch water, and children playing on the shore or swimming in the river.

2. The caudiverbera, has a depressed pinnatil tail, and palmated feet. It is larger than the common green lizard, is found in Peru, and has got its name from its beating the ground with its tail.

3. The dracera, has a long tail dentated above, a smooth body, and equal toes. It is a native of America.

4. The superciliosa, has a carinated tail, and the scales on the back and eye-brows are ciliated. It is a native of the Indies.

5. The fuscata, has a subcompressed tail, and a dentated suture on the back. It is a native of Asia.

6. The monitor, has a carinated tail, and white eye-like spots on the body. It is a native of the Indies.

7. The principalis, has a carinated tail, a crest on the throat, and a smooth back. It is found in South America.

8. The bicarinata, has a compressed tail with a double carina, and a quadruple carina on the back. It is a native of the Indies.

9. The cordylus has a short verticillated tail, and dentated scales. It is found in Africa and Asia.

10. The stellio, has a verticillated tail, and dentated scales. It is a native of Africa.

11. The mauritanica, has a short verticillated tail smooth at the apex. It is found in Mauritania.

12. The azurea, has a short verticillated tail, and sharp pointed scales. It is a native of Africa.

13. The turcica, has a verticillated tail, and a rough grey body. It is a native of the East Indies.

14. The ameira, has a long verticillated tail, 30 scutes on the belly, and a plaited collar. It is a native of America.

15. The agilis, has a pretty long verticillated tail, with sharp scales, and a collar formed by scales. This is the common green lizard, and is a native both of Europe and India.

16. The algira, has a pretty long verticillated tail, and a yellow line on each side of the body. It is found in Mauritania.

17. The seps has a long verticillated tail, with a reflected lateral suture, and square scales. It is a native of warm climates.

18. The sex-lineata, has a long verticillated tail, and six white lines on the back. It is a native of Carolina.

19. The angulata, has a long hexagonal tail, and sharp carinated scales. It is a native of America.

20. The chamaeleon, has a crooked cylindrical tail. The head of a large chameleon is almost two inches long, and from thence to the beginning of the tail it is four inches and a half. The tail is five inches long, and the feet two and a half. The thickness of the body is different at different seasons; for sometimes from the back to the belly it is two inches, and sometimes but one; for he can blow himself up and contract himself at pleasure. This swelling and contraction is not only of the back and belly, but of the legs and tail.

These different motions are not like those of other animals, which proceed from a dilatation of the breast in breathing, and which rises and falls successively; but they are very irregular, as in tortoises, and frogs. The chameleon has continued as it were blown up for two hours together, and then he would grow less and less insensibly; for the dilatation was always more quick and visible than the contraction. In this last state he appeared extremely lean, and the spine of the back was sharp, and all his ribs might be told; likewise the tendons of the arms and legs might be seen very distinctly.

The skin is very cold to the touch; and, notwithstanding he seems so lean, there is no feeling the beating of the heart. The surface of the skin is unequal, and has a grain not unlike shagreen, but very soft, because each eminence is as smooth as if it was polished. Some of these are as large as a middling pin's head on the arms, legs, belly, and tail, but on the shoulders and head they are of an oval figure, and a little larger. Those under the throat are ranged in the form of a chaplet. let, from the lower lip to the breast. Some on the head and back are amassed together in clusters, with spaces between them, on which are almost imperceptible spots of a pale red and yellow colour; as well as the ground of the skin itself; which plainly appears between these clusters. This ground changes colour when the animal is dead, becoming of a greyish brown, and the small spots are whitish.

The colour of all these eminences, when the chameleon is at rest in a shady place, is of a bluish grey, except on the claws, where it is white with a little yellow; and the spaces between the clusters is of a pale red and yellow, as was before observed. But when he is in the sun, all parts of the body which are affected with the light, become of a greyish brown, or rather of a tawny. That part of the skin which the sun does not shine on, changes into several brighter colours, which form spots of the size of half one's finger. Some of these descend from the spine halfway on the back; and others appear on the sides, arms, and tail. They are all of an isabella colour, from a mixture of a pale yellow and of a bright red, which is the colour of the ground of the skin.

The head of a chameleon is not unlike that of a fish, it being joined to the breast by a very short neck, covered on each side with cartilaginous membranes resembling the gills of fishes. There is a crest directly on the top of the head, and two others on each side above the eyes, and between these there are two cavities near the top of the head. The muzzle is blunt, and not much unlike that of a frog; at the end there is a hole on each side for the nostrils, but there are no ears, nor any sign of any.

The jaws are furnished with teeth, or rather with a bone in the form of teeth, which he makes little or no use of, because he lives upon swallowing flies and other insects, without chewing them. The form, structure, and motion of the eyes, have something very particular; for they are very large, being almost half an inch in diameter. They are of a globous figure; which may be easily seen, because they stand out of the head. They have a single eye-lid like a cap, with a hole in the middle, through which the sight of the eye appears, which is of a shining brown, and round it there is a little circle of a gold colour. This eye-lid has a grain like flaggreen, as well as the other parts of the skin; and when the rest of the body changes colour, and assumes spots of different shapes, those on the lid always keep the same form, though they are tinged with the same colour as the skin. But the most extraordinary thing relating to the eyes is, that this animal often moves one when the other is entirely at rest; nay, sometimes one eye will seem to look directly forward, and the other backward; and one will look up to the sky when the other regards the earth.

That part of the body which is called the trunk, and comprehends the thorax and the belly, in a chameleon is almost all thorax, with little or no belly. The four feet are all of a length; and the only difference between them is, that those before are turned backwards, and those behind forwards. There are five toes on each paw, which have a greater resemblance to hands than feet. They are all divided into two, which gives the appearance of two hands to each arm, and two feet to each leg; and though one of these parts have three toes, and the other but two, yet they seem to be all of the same size. These toes lie together under the same skin as in a mitten; however, their shape might be seen through the skin. With these paws the chameleon can lay hold of the small branches of trees in the same manner as a parrot. When he is about to perch, he parts his toes different from birds, because he puts two behind and two before. The claws are little, crooked, very sharp, and of a pale yellow, proceeding but half way out of the skin, while the other half is hid beneath it. His walk is slower than that of a tortoise, and he seems to move along with an affectation of gravity. He seems to seek for a proper place to set his feet upon; and when he climbs up trees, he does not trust to his feet like squirrels, but endeavours to find out clefts in the bark, that he may get a surer hold.

His tail is like that of a viper when it is puffed up and round; for otherwise the bones may be seen in the same manner as on the back. He always wraps his tail round the branches of trees, and it serves him as it were instead of a fifth hand.

He is a native of Africa and Asia.

21. The gecko, has a cylindrical tail, concave ears, and a warty body. It is the Indian salamander of Bontius. "This animal is very frequent in Cairo, (says Hasselquist) both in the houses and without them. The poison of this animal is very singular, as it exhales from the lobule of the toes. The animal seeks all places and things impregnated with sea salt, and puffing over them several times leaves this very noxious poison behind it. In July 1750, I saw two women and a girl, in Cairo, at the point of death, from eating cheese new salted, bought in the market, and on which this animal had dropped its poison. Once at Cairo, I had an opportunity of observing how acrid the exhalations of the toes of this animal are, as it ran over the hand of a man who endeavoured to catch it; there immediately rose little pustules over all those parts the animal had touched; these were red, inflamed, and smarted a little, greatly resembling those occasioned by the stinging of nettles. It emits an odd sound, especially in the night, from its throat, not unlike that of a frog."

22. The scincus, has a cylindrical tail, compressed at the point, and blunt margined toes. This animal is found in Arabia Petraea near the Red Sea, and in Upper Egypt near the Nile. It is much used by the inhabitants of the East as an aphrodisiacum, but not at this time by the Europeans. The flesh of the animal is given in powder, with some stimulating vehicle; broth made of the recent flesh, is likewise used by the Arabs. It is brought from Upper Egypt and Arabia to Alexandria, whence it is carried to Venice and Marseilles, and from thence to all the apothecaries shops of Europe. It has been an error, common to almost all authors, to imagine the scincus to be a fish.

23. The orbicularis, has a cylindrical tail, tail, and a roundish belly. It is a native of Mexico.

24. The quinque-lineata, has a cylindrical tail, and five white lines on the back. It is found in Carolina.

25. The basiliscus, has a long cylindrical tail, a radiated fin on the back, and a crest on the hind part of the head. It is a native of South America.

26. The ignava, has a long cylindrical tail, a teethed ridge on the back, and a crest on the throat. It is a native of the Indies.

27. The calotes, has a long cylindrical tail, with the fore-part of the back and hind-part of the head teethed. It is a native of Ceylon.

28. The agam., has a long cylindrical tail, with prickles on the neck and hind part of the head. It is a native of America.

29. The umbra, has a long cylindrical tail, a callous crest on the nape of the neck, and a streaked back. It is a native of southern climates.

30. The plica, has a long cylindrical tail, a callous crest on the hind-head, and a warty neck. It is a native of the Indies.

31. The marmorata, has a long cylindrical tail, a smooth back, and a small teethed crest on the throat. It is a native of Spain.

32. The bullaris, has a long cylindrical tail, and a bladder on the throat, which it blows up when enraged. It is a native of Jamaica.

33. The strumosa has a long cylindrical tail, and a gibbous breast. It is found in South America.

34. The tequifein, has a long cylindrical tail, and a plaited suture on the side. It is a native of the Indies.

35. The aurata, has a cylindrical tail, and round shining scales like gold. It is found in the islands of Cyprus and Jersey.

36. The nilotica, has a long tail with a triangular edge, and four lines of scales on the back. It is a native of Egypt.

37. The punctata, has a long cylindrical tail, two yellow lines on the back, and is interspersed with black points. It is found in Asia.

38. The lemniscata, has a long cylindrical tail, and 8 white lines on the back. It is found in Guinea.

39. The faciata, has a blue cylindrical tail, and five yellow lines on the back. It is a native of Carolina.

40. The chalcides, has a long cylindrical tail, and very short legs, with five toes on the feet. It is a native of Europe and Africa.

41. The vulgaris has a cylindrical tail, four toes on the fore feet, and two dusky coloured lines on the back. It is a native of Europe.

42. The aquatica, has a tail somewhat cylindrical, and four toes on the fore-feet. It lives in the fresh waters, pools, &c. of Europe.

43. The palustris, has a lanceolated tail, and four toes on the fore-feet. It inhabits the stagnant waters of Europe.

44. The punctata, has a cylindrical tail, four toes on the fore-feet, and longitudinal rows of white spots on the back. It is a native of Carolina.

45. The quatuor-lineata, has a long cylindrical tail, four toes on the fore feet, and four yellow lines on the back. It is a native of North America.

46. The salamandra, has a short cylindrical tail, four toes on the fore-feet, and a naked porous body. This animal is vulgarly said to live in fire; but it is found to be a mistake. It is found in the southern countries of Europe.

47. The anguina, has a very long verticillated tail, extremely rigid at the point. It is found at the Cape of Good-hope.

See Plate CII.

Vol. II. No. 62.

LACHNÆA, in botany, a genus of the octandria monogynia clas. It has no calyx; the corolla is divided into four segments; the limbus is unequal; and the fruit, which is a kind of berry, contains but one seed. There are two species, both natives of warm climates.