Reptiles 



The alligator is by no means the inert creature that he 

 appears. As he lies, motionless, on the surface of a South 

 American river, some favoured fare, maybe in the form of 

 a peccary, will probably be rash enough to step upon his 

 back. In an instant the alligator is all alert. Lashing 

 his tail vigorously, the unfortunate peccary is shot into the 

 air and good luck alone will save it from being precipitated 

 into the cruel jaws of the hungry crocodile. 



Equally stirring are the combats which sometimes take 

 place between the alligators and giant anacondas, snakes 

 which are equally at home on land or in the water. The 

 combatants are often well matched and the struggles 

 accordingly prolonged. The anaconda uses every wile to 

 obtain a purchase with his tail which will enable him to 

 put his deadly strangle-hold upon his adversary. The 

 alligator, on his part, struggles to avoid such a happening, 

 for he seems to know instinctively that the anaconda 

 could and would crush in his ribs. 



From alligators to lizards is not a very far cry, but there 

 is an interesting point about many lizards that does not 

 occur amongst any alligators. We refer to their very 

 ingenious method of escaping from their enemies by shed- 

 ding their tails. As a rule a lizard runs away as rapidly 

 as possible from danger, and danger usually arises from 

 some creature anxious to make a meal of the lizard. Now 

 lizards in general have long tails, and the tail is the most 

 likely part to be seized by the pursuer. 



We have frequently caught lizards, or tried to do so, 

 and secured no more tangible prize than the reptile's tail. 

 For directly this organ is touched the lizard can shed it 

 without pain or inconvenience, just as a thief pursued by 

 a constable and seized by his coat might discard the 

 garment and make good his escape. The abandoned tail 

 writhes and twists and squirms in uncanny fashion in one's 

 fingers, then a wriggle more violent than the rest will set it 

 free, so that it jumps about on the ground like some weird 

 live thing. Should the lizard's pursuer be some animal 



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