LIZARDS. 315 



timely flight, it merely stares with its large eyes, and inflates 

 its pouch, while the noose is passing round its neck to drag it 

 from its hole. 



The Bahama Islands abound with Gruanas, which form a great 

 part of the subsistence of the inhabitants. They are caught by 

 dogs, trained for the purpose, in the hollow rocks and trees 

 where they nestle, and either carried alive for sale to Carolina, 

 or kept for home consumption. They feed wholly on vegetables 

 and food, particularly on a kind of fungus, growing at the 

 roots of trees, and on the fruits of the different kinds of pine 

 apples, whence their flesh most likely acquires its delicate 

 flavour. 



The famous South American monitory lizard or Teju (Tejus 

 monitor) is one of the largest and most beautiful of the whole 

 race, as he measures no less than five feet from the snout to the 

 tip of the tail, which is nearly twice as long as the body, while 

 his black colour, variegated with bright yellow bands and spots, 

 produces an agreeable and pleasing effect. The head is small, 

 the snout gradually tapers, the limbs are slender, and the tail, 

 which is laterally compressed, gradually decreases towards the 

 extremity. The Teju lives in cavities and hollows, frequently 

 under the roots of trees. When pursued, he runs rapidly 

 straight forward to his burrow ; but when his retreat is 

 intercepted, he defends himself valiantly, and proves a by no 

 means contemptible antagonist, as he is able to bite through a 

 thick boot, and a stroke with his strong and muscular tail will 

 completely disable a dog. Though the Monitor generally lives 

 on land, he is an excellent swimmer, and catches many a fish 

 in its native element. His chief food, however, consists in 

 various fruits, rats, mice, birds, and he also devours a large 

 number of the eggs and young of the alligator. The attach- 

 ment to man which is universally 

 attributed to him in Brazil, and the 

 warning which, like his relation the 

 Monitor of the Nile, he is said to give 

 to him of the approach of the cayman 

 or the crocodile, by emitting a pecu- 

 liar and shrill sound, are idle fables 



which hardly required the contradiction of Prince Maximilian 

 of Neu Wied, who in all his travels never once heard the Teju's 



