38 



THE SOOTT AMPHISB^NA. 



carry him away in spite of his cries and struggles. The beast plunged into the river with his 

 prey, and neither Alligator nor man were afterwards seen. 



The Alligator is a familiar reptile on the Gulf coast, and in the rivers of Florida. Its 

 length is usually about six or seven feet. Specimens are found at times twice this length 

 fourteen feet being the extreme. A fine example in the Central Park Museum is twelve feet in 

 length. The term Alligator is a corruption of the Spanish el lagarto, a lizard. Five species 

 are known in various parts of the world. 



THE JACABE, or YACAEE (Jacare sclerops), also belongs to this family. It inhabits Brazil, 

 and is not uncommon. It may be known by the ridge across the face between the eyes, the 

 scarcely-webbed hind feet and the fleshy eyelids. On account of the aspect of its eyes it is 

 sometimes called the Spectacled Cayman. It is said that, although this reptile attains a very 

 large size, it will not attack a man even in the water, provided that he always keeps in motion. 

 They pass the night in the water and the day on the shore, where they lie sleeping on the sand, 

 dashing into the water if alarmed. It is depicted on the foregoing page. 



WE now leave the crocodiles and alligators, and proceed to another order of reptiles. 

 These creatures are termed Amphisbsenidse, from two Greek words signifying to go both ways, 

 in allusion to the shape of the animal, which looks as if it had a head at each extremity. 

 In former times, indeed, it was thought that not only could these reptiles creep backward and 

 forward with equal ease, but that they absolutely possessed two veritable heads. None of 

 these reptiles are of great size. They are divided into four families, three of which are without 

 external feet, and the members of the other family only possess the front pair of legs very 

 slightly developed. Their eyes are very minute and entirely covered with skin, so that their 

 sight must be of the most limited character. As in the case of the mole, however, this 

 deprivation of sight does not interefere with the welfare of the animal, for it lives mostly 

 beneath the earth, where eyes would be useless. 



The SOOTY AMPIIISB^E- 

 NA is a native of South- 

 ern America, being found 

 most plentifully in Brazil 

 and Cayenne. It lives al- 

 most wholly underground, 

 boring its way through the 

 soft earth like the common 

 worm, and traversing the 

 soil with considerable ad- 

 dress. It feeds upon animal 

 substances, and is very fond 

 of ants, termites, and their 

 young. Indeed, it is no 

 extraordinary occurrence on 



breaking down a termite's nest, to find an Amphisbsena within, luxuriously curled up in the 

 midst of plenty. Ants' nests below the ground are often penetrated and ransacked by this 

 reptile. 



Being too small to injure man by sheer force, and being devoid of poisonous teeth, this 

 creature is quite harmless except to the insects on which it feeds. It is able to crawl in either 

 direction with nearly equal ease and rapidity, and on account of the bluntness of its tail 

 and the almost imperceptible eyes, affords some reason for the popular idea of its possessing 

 two heads. 



SOOTY AMPHISB^NA. Amphisbana americana. 



