334 LIZARDS, FROGS AND TOADS 



monitory cry, although occasions were not wanting when it 

 might have been of service. As this lizard's flesh is nearly 

 equal in flavour to that of the Guana, it is frequently hunted 

 do'v^Ti by dogs, so that its supposed friendliness to man, *' re- 

 quiting good for evil," would be meritorious indeed, and might 

 be held up as a model to all Christians. 



The large Water-lizards {Hydrosauri) frequent the low 

 river banks or the margins of springs, and although they 

 may be seen basking on rocks or on the dead trunk of some 

 prostrate tree in the heat of the sun, yet they appear more 

 partial to the damp weeds and undergrowth in the neighbour- 

 hood of water. Their gait has somewhat more of the awk- 

 ward later§.l motion of the crocodile, than of the lively action 

 of the smaller saurians. When attacked, they lash violently 

 with ' their tail, swaying it sideways with great force like the 

 cayman. These modern types of the Mososaurus and Iguano- 

 don have a graceful habit of extending the neck, and raising 

 the head to look about them, and as you follow them leisurely 

 over the rocks, or through the jungle, they frequently stop, 

 turn their heads round, and take a deliberate survey of the in- 

 truder. They are by no means vicious, though they bite 

 severely when provoked, acting, however, always on the defen- 

 sive. On examining their stomachs, crabs, locusts, beetles, 

 the remains of jumping fish, the scales of snakes, and bones 

 of frogs and other small animals are discovered. Like that of 

 the Iguanas, their flesh is delicate eating, resembling that of a 

 very young sucking-pig. Mr. Adams gives us an amusing de- 

 scription of his contests with a gigantic Water-lizard {Hydro- 

 saura giganteus) : " Throwing myself on him, I wounded him 

 with a clasp knife in the tail, but he managed to elude my 

 grasp and made for the woods. I succeeded, however, in track- 

 ing his retreating form, on hands and knees, through a low cov- 

 ered labyrinth in the dense undergrowth, until I saw him ex- 

 tended on a log, when, leaving the jungle, I called my servant, 

 a marine, who was shooting specimens for me, and pointing 

 out the couchant animal, desired him to shoot him in the neck, 

 as I did not wish the head to be injured, which he accordingly 

 did. Entering the jungle, I then closed with the wounded 

 saurian, and seizing him by the throat, bore him in triumph to 

 our quarters. Here he soon recovered, and hoping to preserve 



