208 THE ANGLER AND HUNTSMAN 



Eeptiles are abundant, and even the Nile crocodile, the 

 leviathan of the Bible, lingered long enough to give Tris- 

 tram the chance of obtaining a specimen nearly 12 feet long, 

 while, in addition to the African cobra, we find the grass- 

 snake among the harmless species, and the wicked little 

 horned viper lies in wait, as in olden times, to bite the heels 

 of the horses. 



As for the fish, they are as abundant and varied as ever, 

 and it is interesting to note that the Sea of Galilee is still 

 full of them, and that the commonest kinds are of an African 

 family, an interesting illustration of the scientific interest 

 which unites with the religious to make Palestine among 

 the most interesting of all countries. 



Six-Foot Lizards That Furnish Delicious Steaks: 



Most persons are averse to the idea of eating the flesh 

 of a reptile, yet when we eat turtle soup or terrapin we are 

 doing just that. Prof. A. M. Reese, of the University of 

 West Virginia, in a magazine statement, admits that no 

 American would knowingly eat a snake, but he thinks that 

 lizards are among our possibilities, and he especially recom- 

 mends some of the larger ones. Alligators, too, he says 

 make fine eating, and but for silly prejudices would make a 

 voluminous contribution to the supply of flesh food. He 

 goes on to say, writing in the Scientific Monthly : 



"Lizards are important to mankind chiefly as insect 

 destroyers, but a few of them are used as food in tropical and 

 semi-tropical lands. Of these the giant iguanas, reaching a 

 length of six feet or more, are the most important. The 

 flesh of these lizards is said to be of a delicious flavor, resem- 

 bling chicken. In the Bahamas the lizards were formerly 

 one of the most important articles of food ; they were hunted 

 with dogs, and kept in captivity until wanted. 



"The eggs of the larger lizards are also used as food in 

 some countries. 



