The Iguana. 513 



a rich and varied mixture of darker and lighter green, 

 interspersed with specks and marks of yellow, brown, 

 black, and sometimes even red. The head is covered 

 with large angular scales, and the rest of the upper parts 

 with very small ones. The tail is generally much longer 

 than the body. Beneath the throat there is a kind of 

 collar, formed by scales of much darker colour than the 

 rest of the animal. 



The Lizard seems .occasionally to lay aside its natural 

 gentleness of disposition, but no further than for the 

 purpose of obtaining food. Mr. Edwards once surprised 

 a Lizard in the act of fighting with a small bird, as she 

 sat on her nest in a vine against a wall, with newly- 

 hatched young. He supposed that the Lizard would 

 have made a prey of the latter, could it have driven the 

 old bird from her nest. He watched the contest for 

 some time ; but, on his near approach, the Lizard 

 dropped to the ground, and the bird flew off. 



THE IGUANA, (Iguana tuberculata,) 



WHICH is found commonly in the tropical parts of Ame- 

 rica, is a large kind of lizard, often measuring four or 

 five feet in length. It has a crest of long teeth, looking 

 like a comb, along its back ; its tail is long, tapering, 

 and slender ; and beneath its throat it has a sort of 

 pouch which it can dilate considerably. The colour of 

 this lizard is greenish, with brown bands on the tail. 

 The Iguana is found in trees, and feeds chiefly on fruits 

 and other vegetable substances. It is usually caught 

 when reposing upon a branch, and by a very simple 

 process: the hunter approaches it whistling, and the 

 animal is stupid enough to sit still, no doubt enjoying 

 the music, until a noose, attached to the end of a stick, 

 is passed over its head. It is captured for the sake of 

 its flesh, which is regarded as very delicate. 



An Iguana, which was kept for some time in a hothouse 

 at Bristol, was fed on the leaves of kidney bean plants, 

 which it devoured eagerly, after refusing every other 

 kind of food that had been offered it. It seems certain 

 that Iguanas in their natural state are not entirely herbi- 



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