128 



SAUEIANS. 



and by the presence of an elevated crest which runs along 

 the whole length of the back and tail. 



The Hooded Basilisk, B. americanus (Fig. 29), measures seven or 

 eight inches from the nose to origin of the tail, which is itself nearly 

 three times as long, being nineteen or twenty inches in length. 

 Upon the occiput it has a sort of horn or bag, in shape like a 

 hood, round at the summit, and slightly inclined towards the 

 neck. This bag, when distended, is about the size of a pullet's 

 egg. In the male the back and tail are surmounted by a 

 raised crest, such as we have described above, sustained in its 



Fig. 29. Hooded Basilisk. 



thickness by the knotty process of the vertebrae. The general 

 colour is a mixture of sandy brown, slightly marbled on the back 

 and sides, with shades of blue on the upper part, 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 remarkabl}' 

 attenuated towards its extremity as to show the articulations of the 

 vertebrae beneath. 



[According to Mr. 0. Salvin, the Basilisk is very common about 

 Lanquin, in the province of Guatemala, where it may frequently 

 be seen on the low branches of a bush, and it is particularly fond 

 of basking on the boughs of a felled tree in a clearing near a 



