THE BASILISK. II9Q 
and a silvery white underneath. On the throat are larger bands of 
brown, and on each side of the eye is a white ray bordered with black, 
which is lost upon the back ; and the tail is so remarkably attenuated 
towards its extremity as to show the articulations of the vertebrze 
beneath. 
[According to Mr. O. Salvin, the Basilisk is very common about 
Lanquin, in the province of Guatemala, where it may frequently be 
seen on the lower branches of bushes, and it is particularly fond of 
basking on the boughs of a felled tree near a stream. In some speci- 
-——_—-—-—., 
, 
/ 
Fig. 28.— Hooded Basilisk. 
mens of the males, we are informed, the tail is much more compressed 
than in others. In a series of the young the crest is shown in all 
stages of development. We also learn from this naturalist that, not- 
withstanding the compressed form of its tail, the Basilisk does not 
habitually enter the water, as most writers have supposed. 
The sub-family of Anoles (Avo/iine) have mostly the skin of their 
toes widened (under the ante-penultimate phalanx) into an oval disc, 
striated crossways underneath, which enables them to attach them- 
selves to various surfaces. They do not attain the large size of the 
Iguanas; and the habits and characteristics of the various species 
inhabiting Jamaica are thus vividly described by Mr. P. H. Gosse in 
