34 THE SOOTY AMPHISB^NA. 



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, 

 smooths 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 

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

 ciently 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 was afterwards seen. 



The JACARE, or YACARE (Jacare sclerops), also belongs to this family. It inhabits 

 Brazil and is not uncommon. 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 Amphisbasnidae, 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 

 reptiles 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 in- 

 terfere 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 Amphisbaena within, luxuriously curled up in the midst of plenty. Ants' 

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



Being 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 

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

 popular idea of its possessing; two heads. 



