124 JUNGLE ISLAND 



When the land rose above sea level they spread 

 out over it again. 



The lizard family is so old that it makes even 

 the ants seem rather new. From it have come 

 not only the tremendous old dinosaurs, but also 

 the snakes, turtles, alligators, and crocodiles. 



I hope that as you read you will not only see 

 these lizards as they look today, but that you 



After Lull 



Fig. 53. Ancient lizard 



will imagine some of their interesting habits being 

 learned gradually in this long, long stretch of time. 

 In less than a week from the time I saw my 

 first tropical jungle I was living alone on Barro 

 Colorado with no one nearer than an hour's 

 paddle across the lake and no boat to take me 

 there if I had wished to go. When I had come to 

 the island before, some one was always with me 

 and we were always in a hurry to get back into 

 the jungle to see some special thing. Now that 

 my boatman had gone back to Frijoles and I 

 was alone and quiet, the smaller animals began 



