THE IGUANAS. 



279 



Peninsula. It is commonly observed during the day in the bi'anches of trees overhanging 

 rivers, preying on birds and their eggs, and on smaller Lizards, and when disturbed it throws 

 itself from a considerable height into the water, and it will defend itself courageously with 

 teeth, claws, and strokes of the tail. The lowest castes of Hindoos capture these Lizards by digging 

 them out of their burrows on the banks of rivers, for the sake of their flesh, which is greatly 

 relished by these people. Some individuals attain to nearly seven feet in length. 



A Monitor, with bright-yellow spots covering five or six scales, and dotted over the whole body, 

 is found in New Guinea and the Darnley Islands,* and a closely allied genus (Hydrosaurus), in which 

 the nostrils are placed at the extremity of the snout, is represented there also. 



The Gigantic Lace-Lizard f and its varieties are common examples of Australian, kinds. 



The other section of this group of Monitors, with a single nasal bone, is represented by the very 

 ugly Lizard calle-1 Heloderma horridum, of Mexico. It has rather a flat head covered with numerous 

 great convex polygonal plates, which give it a very tubercular appearance. 



The Heloderma, reaching to three feet and a few inches in length, is called Escorpion by the 

 natives, and moves chiefly by night. Dissections have shown that Heloderma has poison glands and 

 teeth adapted to bite and introduce the poison. Like most of its order, it is very tenacious of life, 

 and the muscles move long after decapitation, and chloroform is long in killing it. 



THE SUB-OEDER CEASSILINGUES. THE SHORT-TONGUED LIZARDS. 



These Lizards have a short, thick, and fleshy tongue, slightly notched in front and not protractile. 

 There are four limbs present, and their digits are placed in front of the ankle and wrist. Unually the 

 eye is protected by lids, and the tympanic membrane is free. They have, with the exception of 

 one family, the Geckos, procoelous vertebrae and a columella, but the teeth may be pleurodont, or 

 acrodont. The first family of this great sub-order is that which contains the IGUANAS (the. 

 Igoanide), 



* Monitor chlorostiyma (Gray). f Hydrosaurus yiganteus. 



