FAMILY IGUANIDJE; IGUANODON ; ANOLIS. 559 



sometimes eat eggs, or other animal substances. Their disposi- 

 tion is rather fierce, and they will defend themselves with vigour ; 

 when water is near, they betake themselves to it, and swim with 

 considerable rapidity, by the lateral strokes of the tail. The 

 colour of the Iguanas is usually a mixture of green and brown, 

 adapted to conceal them during their residence in trees ; and 

 their hues seem to have some of that power of change, which is 

 so remarkable in the Chameleons. Their usual length is from 

 four to six feet, including the tail. The flesh is very palatable, 

 and is much esteemed in the West Indies as an article of food ; 

 the animals, however, are now becoming scarce in most of the 

 islands. Remains of a gigantic Saurian have been discovered in 

 the South East of England; which appears, from the structure of 

 the teeth, to have been undoubtedly allied to the Iguanas of the 

 present day ; and which has received the name of Iguanodon. 

 This animal could not have been less than 70 feet in length, and 

 was perhaps more. Its teeth were evidently fitted, by the 

 roughness of their surface, and by the provision made in the 

 arrangement of the enamel, for the continued maintenance of that 

 roughness, notwithstanding the wear of the tooth, to grind 

 down hard vegetable substances to a pulp ; and remains of terres- 

 trial plants have been found associated with it, showing that its 

 habits were nearly the same as those of the existing Iguanas. 



495. In this family are also included several other genera ; 

 of which those that have the teeth arranged on the same plan 



FIG. 333. ANOLIS. 



as the Iguanas, are, like them restricted to the New World. 

 The Anolis is a small, slender, active little animal ; frequenting 



