34 THE SOOTY AMPHISB^ENA 



the more the animal pulls, the firmer are the barbs struck into its throat. When thus 

 hooked, its struggles are terrific, and Mr. Waterton, who succeeded in capturing a fine 

 specimen more than ten feet in length, had the greatest difficulty in securing it without 

 damaging its appearance. 



The eggs of the Alligator are small and numerous. The parent deposits them in the 

 sand of the river side, scratching a hole with her paws, and placing the eggs in a regular 

 layer therein. She then scrapes some sand, dry leaves, grass and mud over them, 

 smoothes it and deposits a second layer upon them. These eggs are then covered in a 

 similar manner and another layer deposited until the mother reptile has laid from fifty to 

 sixty eggs. Although they are hatched by the heat of the sun and the decaying' 

 vegetable matter, the mother does not desert her young, but leads them to the water arid 

 takes care of them until their limbs are sufficiently strong and their scales sufficiently 

 firm to permit them to roam the waters without assistance. 



As is the case with the crocodiles, the young Alligators are terribly persecuted by 

 birds and beasts, and are even in danger of being eaten by the old males of their own 

 species. During the winter months the Alligator buries itself in the mud, but a very 

 little warmth is sufficient to make it quit its retreat and come into the open air again. 

 While lively, especially at night, it is a most noisy animal, bellowing in so loud a tone 

 and in so singular a cadence that even the nightly concert of jaguars and monkeys is. 

 hardly heard when the Alligators are roaring. 



It sometimes attains to a great size, and is then formidable to man. Mr. Waterton 

 mentions a case when one of these creatures was seen to rush out of the water, seize a 

 man and carry him away in spite of his cries and struggles. The beast plunged into the 

 river with his prey, and neither Alligator nor man were afterwards seen. 



The JACAEE, or YACARE (Jacare sclerops}, also belongs to this family. It inhabits 

 Brazil and is not ^^ncommon. It may be known by the ridge across the face between 

 the eyes, the scarcely-webbed hind feet and the fleshy eyelids. On account of the aspect 

 of its eyes it is sometimes called the Spectacled Cayman. It is said that although this 

 reptile attains a very large size, it will not attack a man even in the water, provided that 

 he always keeps in motion They pass the night in the water and the day on the shore, 

 where they lie sleeping on the sand, dashing into the water if alarmed. 



WE now leave the crocodiles and alligators, and proceed to another order of reptiles 

 These creatures are termed Amphisbsenidse, from two Greek words signifying to go both 

 ways, in allusion to the shape of the animal, which looks as if it had a head at each 

 extremity. In former times indeed, it was thought that not only could these reptile' 

 creep backward and forward with equal ease, but that they absolutely possessed two 

 veritable heads. None of these reptiles are of great size. They are divided into four 

 families, three of which are without external feet, and the members of the other family 

 only possess the front pair of legs very slightly developed. Their eyes are very minute 

 and entirely covered with skin, so that their sight must be of the most limited character. 

 As in the case of the mole, however, this deprivation of sight does not interfere with the 

 welfare of the animal, for it lives mostly beneath the earth, where eyes would be useless. 



The SOOTY AMPHISB^ENA is a native of Southern America, being found most 

 plentifully in Brazil and Cayenne. It lives almost wholly underground, boring its way 

 through the soft earth like the common worm, and traversing the soil with considerable 

 address. It feeds upon animal substances, and is very fond of ants, termites and their 

 young. Indeed, it is no extraordinary occurrence on breaking down a termite's nest, to 

 find an Amphisbeena within, luxuriously curled up in the midst of plenty. Ant's nests 

 below the ground are often penetrated and ransacked by this reptile. 



^eing too small to injure man by sheer force, and being devoid of poisonous teeth, this 

 creature is quite harmless except to the insects on which it feeds. It is able to crawl in 

 either direction with nearly equal ease and rapidity, and on account of the bluntness of 

 its tail and the almost imperceptible eyes, affords some reason for the popular idea of its 

 possessing two heads. 



