Lizards 259 
the pursuit unflaggingly. Doubtless experience had taught 
him that his perseverance would ultimately be rewarded: 
that sooner or later he would surprise a corpulent iguana 
fast asleep on some branch, and too late to drop from his 
resting-place. In the forest I always saw the “ pisoti” 
hunting in large bands, from which an iguana would have 
small chance of escape, for some were searching along the 
ground whilst others ranged over the branches of the trees. 
Other tree-lizards also try to escape their enemies by 
dropping from great heights to the ground. I was once 
standing near a large tree, the trunk of which rose fully fifty 
feet before it threw off a branch, when a green Anolis dropped 
past my face to the ground, followed by a long green snake 
that had been pursuing it amongst the foliage above, and had 
not hesitated to precipitate itself after its prey. The lizard 
alighted on its feet and hurried away, the snake fell like a 
coiled-up watch-spring, and opened out directly to continue 
the pursuit; but, on the spur of the moment, I struck at it 
with a switch and prevented it. I regretted afterwards not 
having allowed the chase to continue and watched the issue, 
but I doubt not that the lizard, active as it was, would have 
been caught by the swift-gliding snake, as several specimens 
of the latter that I opened contained lizards. 
Lizards are also preyed upon by many birds, and I have 
taken a large one from the stomach of a great white hawk 
with its wings and tail barred with black (Leucopternis ghies- 
breghtt) that sits up on the trees in the forest quietly watching 
for them. Their means of defence are small, nor are they 
rapid enough in their movements to escape from their 
enemies by flight, and so they depend principally for their 
protection on their means of concealment. The different 
species of Anolis can change their colour from a bright green 
to a dark brown, and so assimilate themselves in appearance 
to the foliage or bark of trees on which they lie. Another 
tree-lizard, not uncommon on the banks of the rivers, is not 
only of a beautiful green colour, but has foliaceous expansions 
on its limbs and body, so that even when amongst the long 
grass it looks like a leafy shoot that has fallen from the trees 
above. I do not know of any lizard that enjoys impunity 
from attack by the secretion of any acrid or poisonous fluid 
from its skin, like the little red and blue frog that I have 
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