. Elements of zoology, or, Natural history of animals / ed. by Reese. Zoology. 228 ZOOLOGY. the vulgar as having a venomous character, but without the least foundation in truth. Most of them possess claws at the extremities of the toes, and these are capable of being retracted like those of the Felinae. They appear more useful to their possessor in climbing, however, than in securing their prey, which consists principally of in- sects. The Geckos are found in most warm countries in both hemispheres. They frequent buildings ; and some species have a peculiar organization of the feet, by wh
. Elements of zoology, or, Natural history of animals / ed. by Reese. Zoology. 228 ZOOLOGY. the vulgar as having a venomous character, but without the least foundation in truth. Most of them possess claws at the extremities of the toes, and these are capable of being retracted like those of the Felinae. They appear more useful to their possessor in climbing, however, than in securing their prey, which consists principally of in- sects. The Geckos are found in most warm countries in both hemispheres. They frequent buildings ; and some species have a peculiar organization of the feet, by which they can climb smooth perpendicular walls, or even run beneath ceilings. They are often useful in cleaning houses of musquitoes and spiders ; but it is said that articles of food over which they have passed acquire poisonous properties, in consequence of an acrid exuda- tion from the feet. It is difficult to know how much credit to give to such statements; equally positive ones, which are entirely destitute of foundation in fact, being circulated in this country in regard to the toad. 343. The Chameleonid^e, or Chameleon tribe, are few in number; but they present so many anomalies of organ-. Chameleon. ization, that it is necessary to separate them from all the other saurians, and to rank them as a distinct family. They are characterized, in the first place, by the structure of the feet, which are adapted for climbing like those of the scansorial birds (such as the parrot), having two of the toes opposed to the other three. The tongue also affords 394. Describe the third family of Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Reese, David Meredith, 1800-1861. New York : A. S. Barnes
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