From my favorite SF book WASP by Eric Frank Russell, there is a great scene with a lizard watcher.
The skinny oldster moping in the rear was Area Supervisor of the Pan-Sirian Association of Lizard Watchers. The podgy specimen one step ahead of him represented the Pertane Model Rocket Builders Club. There wasn't one in the entire sitting who looked capable of spitting in a Spakum eye much less overthrowing his own government.
Joining the queue, Mowry said conversationally to Skinny, "Nuisance this, isn't it?" "Yar. Only the Statue of Jaime knows why it is considered 60 necessary." "Maybe they're trying to round up people with special talents," Mowry offered. "Radio experts, photographers and folk like those. They can use all sorts of technicians in wartime." "They could have said so in plain words," opined Skinny impatiently. "They could have published list of them and ordered them to report in." "Yar, that's right."
"My group watches lizards. Of what special use is a lizard watcher, hi?
"I can't imagine. Why watch lizards, anyway?"
"Have you ever watched them?"
"No," admitted Mowry, without shame.
"Then you don't know the fascination of it."
Podgy turned round and said with a superior air, "My group builds model rockets." "Kid stuff," defined Skinny. "That's what you think. I'll have you know every member is a potential rocket-engineer and in time of war a rocket engineer is a valuable -"
"Move up," said Skinny, nudging him. They shuffled forward, stopped.
Skinny said to Mowry, "What's your crowd do?"
"We etch glass."
"Well, that's a high form of art. I have seen some very attractive examples of it myself. They were luxury articles though. A bit beyond the common purse." He let go a loud sniff. "What good are glass-etchers for winning battles?"
"You guess," Mowry invited.
"Now take rockets," put in Podgy. "The rocket is essential to space-war and -"
"Move up," ordered Skinny again.

Botched Lizard.jpg





earless lizard.jpg

House Lizard.jpg