The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1901-12-13
CURIOUS LIZARDS.

Even as a class, lizards are certainly
curious creatures. At one moment
for the most part-they are the very
incarnation OF bright activity, dart.
ing here and there so swiftly that the
eye can scarcely follow their move.
ments. At the next they are as mo.
tiOnless as II they had been turned
into stone. Then they have the sim
gular power Of reproducing lost men,
bers. II lizard looses leg it ap.
pears to suffer little or no pain, while
the wound rapidly heals over, and a
new limb grows In place OF the old
one. Some OF them, too, will snap of
their own tails 10 moments OF danger,
by sudden contraction OF the mus.
cles; and the severed tail begins to
dance up and down in the air, twist
ing and curling about as though it
was endowed with independent vital.
ity, while the mutilated animal creeps
unnOticed away to a place of safety.
And few weeks later it is as perfect
as ever.
The tongues, too, Of many lizards
are very remarkable. They are re.
versed, so to speak, in the mouth, so
that the root is just behind the lips,
while the tip lies in the throat. At
the same time they are highly elastic,
so that they can be darte1 out from
the mouth to distance OF three or
four inches, while the tip is as sticky
as II it had been smeared with liquid
glue. So that when one of these liz
ards catches sight OF fly within its
reach, all that it has to do in order to
catch it, is just to flick out its tongue
and touch it with the tip The re.
suit Is almost like magic. The fly
simply disappears and you cannot see
how. And the tongue carries 1t down
the lizards throat by the return
movement.
Such pcculiarities as these, how.
ever, are common to many lizards;
and it is not until we examine some
OF the Individual species that we re.
alize how curious these creatures can
be.
The Geckos, for example, have every
toe swollen out into an almost circular
pad, which can be used after the man.
ner Of a sucker. The reason is obvi.
GUS. They are climbing lizards, given
to living In houses, where they prey
upon the insects that settle on the
walls. Therefore they must be able
to ascend and descend a smooth aud
perpendicular surface. II their feet
were constructed 10 the ordinary way
they could not do 50. But their odd
little sucker-like toes give them firm
fo0thold even on a pane OF glass, and
in the countries which they inhabit,
one mag see them running up and
down the walls and across the ceiling,
just like SO many flies.
The Flying Dragon, OF Java and
BorneO, has u strange wing.like flap
on either side OF Its body, strengthen.
ed and supported by six slender bony
processes which spring from the false
ribs. When not in use these flaps are
folded against the sides, after the
manner OF closed umbrella. But
when the reptile wishes to pass from
one tree to another it spreads them
out to the fullest extent, leaps from a
branch, aud skins through the air
like an oyster shell thrown edgewise
from the hand. In this way 1t is able
to fly" to u distance of thirty or for.
ty yards.
Lizards have curious ways, too. Of
escaping from their enemies. The
Crested Anolis, of South America,
does so by putting out its pouch-like
throat to four or five times its proper
size, thereby assuming so formidable
an appearance that no one who did
not know 1t to be perfectly harmless,
would care to interfere with it. The
Basilisk, found 10 the same part Of
the world, looks even more forbidding,
as 1t raises q great crest which runs
along the back and the tail, and man.
ifests every sign OF the most furious
rage, although it is perfectly incapa.
bic Of doing the slightest harm. More
singular still is the Frilled Lizard OF
stralia, whose neck Is surrounded
By a huge ruf, which lies as u rule,
| folded 10 plaits upon the body. When
danger threatens, however, this run
Is widely spread, the mouth opened
to display the teeth, and the animal
dasheS at Its foe Is savagely as it IL
possessed the power Of tearing him to
pieces.
When this lizard runs, 1t does SO by
means Of its hinder legs alone, raising
the fore part Of It's body almost erect,
and dragging It's long tail after 1t.
Its appearance as 1t does SO Is most
eccentric, and has been compared to
that Of q batsman In a cricket match
as be runs between the wickets.
The Moloch Lizard is simply one
mass Of spines aud spikes. Head
body, limbs and tall alike are covered
With thorny projections, each o.
which IL surrounded by o circle O