CONTENTS. xvii 



the Venom.— The Poison-Fangs.— The Bush-Master.— The Ecliidna Occlhita.— Rattle- 

 snakes.— Tlieir Enemy the Hog.— The Cobra de Capello.— The Haje.— The Cerastes.— 

 Boas and Pythons.— The Boa-constrictor.— The Water Boa.— Fascination by Snakes.— 

 Henderson's Argument against It.— Thorpe's Reasons in its Favor.— Du Chaillu on the 

 Subject.— Enemies of Serpents.— The Secretary Bird.— The Adjutant Bird.— The Mon- 

 goos. — Serpents Eating Serpents. — The Locomotion of Serpents. — Anatomy of their 

 Jaws.— A Serpentine Meal.— Pet Serpents.— Tree Snakes.— Water Snakes— Stories of 

 Enormous Snakes. — Du Chaillu's Big Snake. — Wallace's Bigger One.— Lizards : The 

 Geckoe.— Anatomy of its Feet.— Their Wide Distribution.— The Anolis.— Its Combative- 

 ness.— The Chameleon.— Its Habits, Change of Color, and Characteristics.— The Iguana.— 

 The Teju. — Water Lizards. — Flying Dragons. — The Basilisk. — Frogs and Toads: Tlie Pipa 

 Frog.— Tree Frogs.— Wallace's Flying Frog.— The Bahia Toad.— The Giant Toad.— The 

 Musical Toad, I'age 616 



CHAPTER XI. 



ALLIGATORS — CROCODILES — TORTOISES AND TURTLES. 



Alligators and Crocodiles : Their Habits.— Caymen, Gavials and Crocodiles.— Mode of Seizing 

 their Prey.— Size of Alligators.— Alligators on the Amazon.— Alligator and Crane.— Man- 

 Eating Alligators.— Their Contests.— Tenacity of Life.— Laying their Eggs.— Tenderness 

 for tlieir Young.— Their Enemies.— Torpidity in the Dry Season.— "Playing 'Possum."— 

 Tortoises and Turtles: The Galapago Islands.— The Elephantine Tortoise.— Rate of Trav- 

 eling.— Marsh Tortoises.— Manufacture of Tortoise Oil.— Turtles on the Amazon.— Sea- 

 Turtles.— Their Enemies.— Modes of Capturing Turtles.— The Green Turtle.— The Hawks- 

 bill Turtle.— Barbarous Modes of Removing the Shell, and Selling the Meat.— The Cori- 



aceous Turtle, 



635 



CHAPTER XII. 



BIRD-LIFE IN THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



Difficulties of the Subject.— Wide Range of Birds.— The Toucan.— Humming-Birds.— Cotin- 

 gas.— The Campanero, or Bell-Bird.— The Realejo, or Organ-Bird.— The Manakins.— The 

 Cock of the Rock.— The Troopials.— The Baltimore Oriole.— The Cassiques.— The Mock- 

 ing-Bird.— The Toropishu.— The Tunqui.— Goat-Suckers.— The Cilgero.— Flamingos.— 

 The Ibis.— SpoonBills.— Birds of the New and the Old World.— Sun-Birds.— Honey-Eat- 

 ers.— The Ocellated Turkey. — The Lyre-Bird. —Birds of Paradise. — Fables respecting 

 them.— Their Character and Habits.— Their Dancing-Parties.— Mode of Shooting and 

 Snaring them.— The Australian Bower-Bird.— The Brush-Turkey.— The Adjutant.- The 

 Copper-smith.— The Indian Baya.— The Tailor-Bird-- The Grosbeak.— The Korwe.— 

 Parrots.— The Brazilian Love-Parrot.— Their Powers of Mimicry.— Cockatoos.— Macaws. 

 —The Ara.— Paroquets.— The Ostrich.— His Swiftness of Foot.— Modes of Capturing it.— 

 Stratagems to Save its Young.— Its Enemies.— Its Young.— Resemblance to the Camel.— 

 Its Powers of Digestion.— Uses of its Eggs.— The Rheas.— The Cassowary.— The Emu, 645 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE CLIBIBERS: BATS, SLOTHS, AND SIMIiE. 



Bats: Their Wonderful Organization.— The Fox-Bat— Eaten by the Malays.— Vampire Bats 

 —Their Blood-sucking Propensities.— The Horseshoe Bat.— The Nycteribia.— The Flying 

 Squirrel.— The Galeopithecus.— The Anomalurus.— TAe Sloth: Pitiful Description given 

 of Him.— His beautiful Organization for his peculiar Mode of Life.— His rapid Movements 

 in the Trees— His Means of Defense.— His Tenacity of Life.— The Unau— The Ai.— 

 Gigantic Primeval Sloths.— il/on%s .■ Good Climbers, but bad Walkers.— Imjierfectly 

 known to the Ancients.— Similitudes and Differences between Man and Apes.— The Chim- 

 panzee.— The Gorilla.— Du Chaillu's First Encounter with a Gorilla.— The Gorilla and her 

 Young.— The Orang-Utan, or Mias.— Wallace's Accounts of Shooting the Orang.— Their 

 Tenacity of Life.— Size of the Orang.— The Orang as a Combatant.— The Orang fighting 



