13^ ISLES OF STTMMEfi. 



its foreliead and head of its nose. 1 read in Appleton's Americaii 

 Encyelo])edia that thjre are no four footed reptiles that are dan- 

 gerous. 1 have allowed the lizards of all descriptions to bite 

 me, and never suffereJ. any inconvenience from it. Their bite 

 is like tliat of turtles; they pinch hard, and have great strength 

 in their jaws. The small lizards will stand and turn their heads 

 and listen if you whistle. It is amusing to see them out hunting. 

 They hunt insects that are large enough to attract their atten- 

 tion. At a place where I used to go to get sea-eggs to dry, flies 

 collected, and I would sit and watch them. They would see a 

 fly when two feet distant, and then lie down and creep towards 

 it like a dog after a wood-chuck, or a cat after a mouse. 1 have 

 seen them jump and catch flies, and catch them on the wing. 

 Salamanders are not dangerous. I have tamed little red ones so 

 that they would walk 'round on my finger. I never could get 

 one of them to bite me. They are perfectly harmless." 



In a communication received from our young friend, Mr. 

 Phelps, of Vermont, while this chapter was in the printer's hands, 

 he states: *'Many of the people of Nassau consider the flesh of 

 the iguana a great delicacy. I was unable to test it i)ersonally, 

 because none were offered for sale in the Nassau market. I ob- 

 tained one from Cuba for my collection. They grow to a length 

 of from three to four feet, including the tail, which is two-thirds 

 the entire length. The head is large, and its capacious mouth 

 is armed with about fifty teeth upon each jaw. The dew-lap has 

 a depth about equal to the diameter of the head; it is triangular, 

 and has about a dozen separations on its anterior border. Along 

 its neck and back is a comb-like crest of fifty-five scales, which, 

 extending to the tail, becomes simply a serrated ridge. The 

 color above is greenish, with blue and slate tints; below it is a 

 greenish yellow; generally, upon the sides, there are brown, zig- 

 zag bands, with a yellowish border j oa the front of the shoulder 



