CURIOUS LIZARDS. 33 



would run along the top of the fences, or on the ground, 

 keeping their wings close to their body and dropping their 

 head to a level with the rest of their body, resembling so 

 closely the iguanas that on several occasions I let them go 

 thinking they were that animal. 



Of the vertebrate animals we saw very little, except of 

 lizards. They were sure to attract our attention by reason 

 of their strange appearance, great numbers, and variety. 

 The species which were seen crawling over the walls of the 

 haciendas were different from those found in the forest. 

 They were unpleasant looking animals, with colors assimi- 

 lated to those of the stone walls and trees on which they 

 were seen. A small species found near the haciendas was 

 of speckled gray or ashy- color. A slight rap would cause 

 the tails of these lizards to snap off, the loss being partially 

 repaired by a new growth. 



Among the insects collected, the most interesting was 

 the tarantula. These monstrous, heavy spiders, three or 

 four inches in expanse, were found in many places about 

 the camp. The different kinds had the most diversified 

 habits. Some constructed dens of closely woven web 

 among the tiles of thatch houses; others built similar nests 

 in trees, while yet others built handsome nests in the 

 ground, closing the aperture by a neatly constructed door. 

 Several of the species were nocturnal in habit. 





It was a great disappointment to me that 

 the moUusks were not more abundant; scarce- 

 ly a living shell could be found. The cause 

 of this paucity, so the Yucatecans informed 

 me, lay in the dryness of the season, the 

 cYLiNDKELLA ^^^ scasou bciug the most favorable for Mol- 

 SPELUNCCE. PFE., luscau, as well as for insect life. I found, 



VAK. DUBIA, , ... 



piLSBEY. however, numerous specimens oi the genera 

 Glandina, Cyclotus, Cylindrella, and Choanopoma. 



