20 ANIMALS OF LAND AND SEA 



licious, and in high favor wherever they occur. That curious 

 lizard known as the ''chuck- walla" which is slightly less in 

 size than the Gila monster and feeds on buds and flowers is 

 much prized by our western Indians as food. 



The flesh of the common crocodile in Africa is eaten by the 

 natives there; but Sir Samuel Baker says "nothing can be 

 more disgusting than crocodile flesh. I have eaten almost 

 everything, but although I have tasted crocodile, I could 

 never succeed in swallowing it. The combined flavor of bad 

 fish, rotten flesh, and musk is the carte dc diner offered to the 

 epicure." Of the alligator the tail is considered a dehcacy by 

 the southern negroes, while one of the native crocodiles of 

 Siam regularly appears as food in the markets of that country. 

 Turtles and tortoises of all kinds and sizes are in general much 

 prized, with the exception of the carnivorous sea turtles. We 

 ourselves are immensely fond of the vegetarian sea turtles, 

 served especially as soup, and of what we beheve to be, and 

 often is, the salt marsh tortoise or terrapin, paying for both 

 a very fancy price. Our common snapper is very widely used 

 as food, and of late years has decreased in numbers, especially 

 near the larger cities. In the Balkans the httle mud turtles 

 of the ponds are considered a great delicacy, and small pond 

 and river turtles are eaten elsewhere. The eggs of the large 

 sea turtles and of the iguanas are much sought after. 



Frogs in many places are esteemed a delicacy. Usually 

 only the hind legs are eaten, but in some places they are 

 boiled whole and consumed like buns. In Dominica one can 

 sometimes see a native going home at night with a few "moun- 

 tain chickens" — large frogs — ^ attached securely to his per- 

 son by passing the long hind legs beneath his belt. The giant 

 salamander is eaten in the East, but so far as I know these 

 creatures are not eaten elsewhere. 



The number of food fishes is enormous, including nearly 

 every sort of fish large enough to eat. A few fishes are pois- 

 onous, some are likely to cause illness, and some are shunned 

 because they look poisonous, or merely because they are not 



