C HA MELEON ; CROCODILE ; DRAGON ; LEVIATHAN.) And therefore we shall confine attention to the liz ards that arc inhabitants of Western Asia and Egypt. and to those more particularly noticed in the Bible.
(1) Of these, commentators indicate six or seven species. Bochart refers tsab (Lev. xi :3o) to onc of the group of Monitors or Varanus, the Nilotic lizard, Loccrta Nilotic°, Varanus Niloticus, or 1Varan of the Arabs. Like the other of this form, it is possessed of a tail double the length of the body, but is not so well known in Palestine, where there is only one real river ( Jordan) which is not tenanted by this species. The true crocodile frequented the shores and marshes of the coast down to a comparatively late period; and therefore it may well have had a more specific name than Leviathan—a word ap parently best suited to the dignified and lofty dic tion of the prophets, and clearly of more general signification than the more colloquial designation. Jerome was of this opinion ; and it is thus likely that' isob was applied to both, as waron is now considered only a variety of, or a young, crocodile. There is a second of the sante group, Lacerta Scincus of Merrem (Varanus Arenarius),Waran el-hard, also reaching to six feet in length ; and a third, not as yet clearly described, which appears to be larger than either, growing to nine feet, and covered with bright cupreous scales. This last prefers rocky and stony situations. It is in this section of the Saurians that most of the gigantic fossil species, the real ben-ncphilim, 'children of the giants,' are found to be located; and of the existing species some are reported to possess great strength. One of the last-men tioned pursues its prey on land with a rapid bounding action, feeds on the larger insects, and is said to attack game in a body, sometimes de stroying even sheep. The Arabs, in agreement with the ancients, assert that this species will do fierce and victorious battle with serpents.
(2) NVe come next to the group of lizards more properly so called, which Hebrew commentators take t'o be the letaiih a name having some allusion to poison and adhesiveness. The word occurs only once (Lev. xi :3o), where Saurians alone appear to be indicated. If the Hebrew root were to guide the decision, letaah would be another name for the gecko or onakoh, for there is but one species which can be deemed venomous; and with regard to the quality of adhesiveness, though the geckos possess it most, numerous common lizards run up and down perpendicular walls with great facility. We, therefore, take chomet, or the sand lizard of Bochart, to be the true lizard, several (probably many) species existing in myriads on the rocks in sandy places, and in ruins in every part of Palestine and the adjacent countries.
(3) We now come to the Stellianes, which have been confounded with the noxious geckos. They are best known by the bundles of starlike spines on the body. Next we place the Geckatians, among which comes the anakah, in our version denomina ted ferrct, but which is with more propriety trans ferred to the noisy and venomous abu-burs of the Arabs. The particular species most probably meant is the laccrta gecko of Hasselquist. the cccko !obelus of Geoffroy, distinguished by hav ing the soles of the feet dilated and striated like open fans, from whence a poisonous ichor is said to exude, inflaming the human skin, and infecting food that may have been trodden upon by the ani mal. Hence the Arabic name of obu-burs, or 'father leprosy,' at Cairo. To these we add the Chameleons, already described (see CHAMELEON ; and then follows the Scincus.
Of the species of Seps, that is, viviparous ser pent-lizards, having the body of snakes, with four weak limbs, a species with only three toes on each foot, the lacerta chaleides of Linn., ap pears to extend to Syria. C. H. S.