ORDER SAURIA. 223 



leaping or rather flying after the manner of the flying squirrels. 

 He also believes that this animal fills its goitre with insects, 

 preserving them there for some hours, and afterwards feeding 

 upon them. 



The Draco fuscus, or brown dragon, is so called from 

 its colour. It is a little longer and more thick than the green. 

 The wings are broader and the tail is less elongated. 



Naturalists have given the name of Iguana to a genus of 

 the present order. It is thus characterized : 



Rounded toes, separated one from the other, and not opposa- 

 ble ; body and tail covered with small imbricated scales ; a pec- 

 tinated goitre, compressed and pendant under the throat ; all 

 along the back a range of spines or rather of erect scales, 

 compressed and pointed. The head covered with plates ; a 

 range of porous tuburcles on the thighs ; a range of compressed 

 triangular teeth, with indented edges in each jaw; two small 

 ranges of teeth at the posterior edge of the palate ; the tail 

 without spines ; the tongue fleshy, and emarginated at the top. 



Thus the iguanas are easily distinguished from the came- 

 Icons, which have the toes opposable and united as far as the 

 claws ; from the stilliones, which have the tail spinous ; from 

 the lizards and agamae, which have no goitre under the throat ; 

 from the dragons, which have membranous wings ; and from 

 the anolis and geckos, whose toes are flatted underneath. 

 The name iguana originated in St. Domingo. 



The reptiles which most naturalists have hitherto regarded 

 as belonging to the genus iguana are tolerably numerous ; 

 but modem naturalists, after having examined and com- 

 pared them with more attention than their predecessors, 

 have transferred many of ihem to the agama?, and formed 

 separate genera of the hasilish and the marbled iguana 

 (Molychrus). We shall slightly notice the principal species 

 Avhich have been left. 



The Common American Iguana ( Lacerta iguanUy Lin. ; 



