Tim Challenger wrote in
:

... when it's warm. I once found three apparently dead lizards on
the path standing like statues one frosty morning. To my surprise,
when I picked one up, it jerked like a mechanical toy.

I doubt if a cat would be terribly interested in something that moved
as much as a stick.

Sticks 'jerk like a mechanical toy' where you come from, do they ?

Victoria