e feet.

The gecko is a kind of nocturnal lizard. Its eyes are large, and the
pupil is extremely contractile. It hides itself during the day, and is
lively only at nights. It haunts rooms, especially kitchens, in Egypt,
where it finds the insects which form its ordinary food. Its feet
constitute its most marked characteristic. The five toes are enlarged
and furnished with an apparatus of folds, which, by some peculiar
action, enable it to adhere to perfectly smooth surfaces, to ascend
perpendicular walls, cross ceilings, or hang suspended for hours on the
under side of leaves. The Egyptians called it the abu burs, or "father
of leprosy," and there is a wide-spread belief in its poisonous
character; but modern naturalists incline to regard the belief as
unfounded, and to place the gecko among reptiles which are absolutely
harmless. [PLATE XXVIII., Fig. 1.]

[Illustration: PLATE XXVIII.]

The asp of Egypt (_Coluber haje_) is a species of cobra. It is a large
snake, varying from three to six feet in length, and is extremely
venomous. It haunts gardens, where it is of great use, feeding on mice,
frogs, and various small reptiles. It has the power of greatly dilating
the skin of the neck, and this it does when angered in a way that is
very remarkable. Though naturally irritable, it is easily tamed; and the
serpent-charmers of the East make it the object of their art more often
than any other species. [PLATE XXVIII., Fig. 2.] After extracting the
fangs or burning out the poison-bag with a red-hot iron, the charmer
trains the animal by the shrill sounds of a small flute, and it is soon
perfectly docile.

The cerastes is also employed occasionally by the snake-charmers. It
has two long and thin excrescences above the eyes, whereto the name of
"horns" has been given: they stand erect, leaning a little backwards;
no naturalist has as yet discovered their use. The cerastes is of a
very pale brown color, and is spotted with large, unequal, and
irregularly-placed spots. Its bite is exceedingly dangerous, since it
possesses a virulent poison; and, being in the habit of nearly burying
itself in the sand, which is of the same color with itself, it is the
more difficult of avoidance. Its size also favors its escaping notice,
since in length it rarely much exceeds a foot. [PLATE XXVIII., Fig. 3.]

The chameleon has in all ages attracted the attention of mankind. It is
found in Egypt, and in many others parts of Africa, in Georgi