THE ANCIENT FAMILY OF LIZARDS I33 



These lizards, called basilisks, grow sometimes 

 to be three feet long. The largest ones that I saw 

 were only two feet long, and most of them were 



Fig. 58. The basilisk 



not half so big (Fig. 58). I suspect that a beauti- 

 ful white-and-black hawk that perched near by 

 ate many of them. Like many dinosaurs, the 

 basilisks wear on their heads a handsome crest. 

 The older male lizards add to this a crest running 

 down the spine and another on the tail. A lizard 

 that has parted with his crested tail does not get 

 a ruff on his new tail when it grows. 



Unlike Anolis, the basilisk will bite viciously, 

 but vsince I let them bite a stick or the heavy 



