IGUANAS AND LIZARDS. 



257 



began whistling with all his might, to which the 

 guana was wonderfully attentive, stretching out his 

 neck and turning his head as if to enjoy it more fully. 

 The negro now approached, still whistling, and ad- 

 vancing his rod gently, began tickling with the end 

 of it the sides and throat of the guana, who seemed 

 mightily pleased with the operation, for he turned on 

 his back and stretched himself out like a cat before 

 the fire, and at length fell asleep, which the negro 

 perceiving, dexterously slipped the noose over his 

 head, and with a jerk brought him to the ground. 

 And good sport it afforded, to see the creature swell 

 like a turkey-cock at finding himself entrapped. We 

 caught more in the same way, and kept one alive 

 seven or eight days ; but it grieved me to the heart to 

 find that he thereby lost much delicious fat." 



The iguana eats only vegetable food, and passes 

 most of its time in the trees, though it has holes to 

 which it can retire. The mangrove is its favorite 

 resort, and many have I seen lying along the branches 

 feeding upon the leaves. This tree, though not ma- 

 jestic, nor really beautiful, is extremely interesting 

 from the aerial character of its roots. Growing on 

 the border of the ocean, so near that the waves lap 

 against its stem, and in salt-water lagoons, where the 

 water is shallow and the mud very deep, it sends 

 forth numberless roots from above the water, which 

 strike out in all directions, and finally seem to lift it 

 up as though upon a trestle-work. It is thus a curious 

 sight; and as these mangroves grow in masses, their 

 roots form an intricate and impenetrable network, be- 

 neath which all sorts of marine and sea-side shell-fish 

 and vegetation abound. 

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