MR. W. S. MACLEAY ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF URANIA. 183 
Immediately behind such a belt as I have described, which may be from ten to twenty 
yards broad, we find amidst a variety of smaller plants, such as Russelia sarmentosa, 
Sophora Havanensis, Plumbago scandens, &c., many sea-side shrubs growing in the 
parched sand, of which the most remarkable are the odoriferous Plumeria alba, on the 
bright leaves of which crawls the enormous black and yellow caterpillar of Sphinx 
Asdrubal, Cram. ; the curious Suriana maritima, Linn., which has its rugged hard red 
trunk perforated by the larva of a Cossus (Cossus Suriane, mihi) ; several species of 
2 
Cordie, the bunched flowers of which vary through every shade, from the purest white 
to the most vivid orange and scarlet ; the elegant sea-side Fan-Palm, or Thrinaz par- 
viflora, Swartz; with Duranta Ellisia, Omphalea triandra, Cesalpinie of various species, 
Cactus tetragonus, Cactus grandiflorus, and many more humble species of the same 
Linnean genus!, &c. All this variety of foliage is in general festooned with the flowers 
of different species of Convolvulus, Ipomea, Echites, Paullinia, and other climbing ge- 
nera; while those leaves more exposed to the sea breeze are each studded with small 
terrestrial shells? inhabited by their native Mollusca, and large sea shells? brought from 
their original element by the singular Paguri* which have usurped them, cluster round 
the short stunted trunks. Here, when grey lizards® of different sizes, with yellow 
' Oviedo describes three kinds of West Indian Cardones, viz. las Tunas, los Cirios and las Pitahayas. Under 
the name of Tuna he certainly meant to designate certain prickly species of De Candolle’s genus Opuntia; and 
los Cirios (so called ‘‘ porque parescen cirios o hachas de cera excepto en las espinas,”) certainly coincide with 
De Candolle’s subgenus Cereastri of the genus Cereus. The Pitahaya of Oviedo appears to have been the Cereus 
tetragonus, whereas the Pitahaya of the Spanish creoles of the present day is certainly the Cereus grandiflorus, 
or night-blowing Cereus. This has the ripe fruit yellow, whereas Oviedo describes the fruit of his Pitahaya as 
being of a colour “carmesi rosado.” Nopal appears to have been a name adopted from the Mexicans, and to 
have been applied to the smooth species of Opuntia, such as Op. cochenillifera. 
® Belonging to the genera Phasianella and Pupa, but principally the latter. 
5 Chiefly Turbo Pica, Linn. 
‘ Principally Pagurus Diogenes, known in Cuba by the name of Macao; on the habits and history cf which 
curious Crustacea some most interesting remarks have been published by my friend W. J. Broderip, Esq., in 
the ‘ Zoological Journal’, vol. iv. p. 200. 
5 There is a rude but sufficiently correct representation of these Lizards given by Rochefort, under the name 
of le Roquet. He says, ‘‘ Les Roquets....ont le peau de couleur de feuille morte, qui est marquée de petis 
points jaunes, ounoiratres. Ils sont portez sur quatre pieds, dont ceux de devant sont asses hauts. Ils ont les 
yeus etincelans et vifs au possible. Ils tiennent toujours la teste élevée en l’air, et ils sont si dispos, qu’ils 
sautelent sans cesse, comme des oiseaus, lors qu’ils ne veulent pas se servir de leurs aisles. Leur queiie est 
tellement rétroussée sur le dos, qu’elle fait comme un cercle et demy. IIs prennent plaisir 4 voir les hommes, 
et s‘ils s’arrétent au lieu ou ils sont, ils leur jettent a chaque fois des ceillades. Quand ils sont un peu poursuivis, 
ils ouvrent la gueule, et tirent la langue comme de petits chiens de chasse.”—Hist. Nat. et Mor. des Antilles, 
p. 131. 
This description makes me almost certain that the Roguet belongs to the same genus as the Cuban Lizard 
mentioned in the text, although probably it is a different species. It does not change its colour, nor, as far as 
I know, does it distend the throat like the genus Anolis; neither are the toes, as in that genus, supplied with 
oval disks for climbing, so that it is never seen on trees. Nevertheless Cuvier gives the name of Roquet to a 
