76 THE COMMON IGUANA. 



among one of the delicacies of the country where it resides, being tender, and of a peculiarly 

 delicate flavor, not unlike the breast of a spring chicken. There are various modes of 

 cooking the Iguana, roasting and boiling being the most common. Making it into a fricassee, 

 however, is the mode which has met the largest general approval, and a dish of Iguana 

 cutlets, when properly dressed, takes a very high place among the delicacies of a well-spread 

 table. 



The eggs, too, of which the female Iguana lays from four to six dozen, are very well 

 flavored and in high repute. It is rather curious that they contain very little albumen, the 

 yellow filling almost the entire shell. As is the case with the eggs of the turtle, they never 

 harden by boiling, and only assume a little thicker consistence. Some persons of peculiar 

 constitutions cannot eat either the flesh or the eggs of the Iguana, and it is said that this diet 

 is very injurious to some diseases. The eggs are hid by the female Iguana in sandy soil near 

 rivers, lakes, or the sea-coast, and after covering them with sand, she leaves them to be hatched 

 by the heat of the sun. 



In consequence of the excellence of the flesh and eggs, the Iguana is greatly persecuted 

 by mankind, and its numbers considerably thinned. Those who hunt the animal for sport, or 

 merely to supply their own homes, generally employ a noose for the purpose, which they cast 

 dexterously round the neck of the reptile as it sits on a branch, and then by a sudden and 

 sharp jerk loosen its hold, and secure it. The creature is very bold, having but little idea of 

 running away, and in general is so confident of its capability of frightening away its antago- 

 nist by puffing up its long dewlap, and looking ferocious, that it is captured before it discovers 

 its mistake. Even when caught, it has no notion of yielding without a struggle, but bites so 

 fiercely with its sharp, leaf -like teeth, and lashes so vigorously with its long whip-like tail, 

 that it is not secured without some trouble and risk. It is also very tenacious of life, and 

 does not readily die even from repeated blows with heavy sticks, so that the spear or the 

 pistol are often employed to kill it. 



Those, however, who hunt the Iguana for sale, are obliged to have recourse to other expe- 

 dients, such as nets, and dogs, the latter being trained to secure the Iguana without killing it. 

 Many persons set out on regular expeditions of this sort, embarking in a little vessel and 

 visiting numbers of different islands and inlets in chase of the Iguana. Those which they can 

 succeed in taking alive, have their mouths carefully secured to prevent them from biting, and 

 are then stowed away in the hold, where they will live for a considerable time without requir- 

 ing any nourishment. Those which are killed, they either eat on the spot, or salt them down 

 in barrels for winter consumption. Were the Iguanas quick of foot, they would seldom be 

 captured, but, fortunately for the hunters, they cannot run fast, and according to the quaint 

 language of Catesby, who visited the Bahamas about 1740, "their holes are a greater security 

 to them than their heels." 



The food of the Iguana seems to consist almost entirely of fruits, fungi, and other vegeta- 

 ble substances, and it is known that in captivity it feeds upon various leaves and flowers. 

 Yet it has been said by some persons, who have seen the Iguana in its native state, that it eats 

 eggs, insects, and various animal substances. Perhaps these creatures were not the true 

 Iguanas, but belonged to the monitors, varans, or similar carnivorous Lizards. 



The Iguana is capable of domestication, and can be tamed without much difficulty by those 

 who are kind to it and accustom it to their presence. It will even permit itself to be carried 

 about in its owner's arms, though it will not permit a stranger to approach. 



The general aspect of the Iguana is most remarkable, and can perhaps be better under- 

 stood by reference to the illustration than by any lengthened description. Suffice it to 

 say that the head is rather large, and covered above with large scales. The mouth is enor- 

 mously wide, and studded around the edge with those singularly shaped teeth which have 

 already been described. About the angles of the jaw there are generally some large, solitary, 

 rounded scales. The chin is furnished with a kind of dewlap, large, baggy, and capable of 

 being inflated at the will of the animal, scaly, and edged in front with a row of bold, tooth- 

 like projections. The sides of the neck are covered with tubercles. The tail is extremely 

 long, and very thin and tapering. The usual color of the Iguana is dark olive-green, but is 



