XVII 



MARINE AMBLYRHYNCHUS 



411 



any other place an aboriginal. The bones of a tortoise at 

 Mauritius, associated with those of the extinct Dodo, have 

 generally been considered as belonging to this tortoise : if this 

 had been so, undoubtedly it must have been there indigenous ; 

 but M. Bibron informs me that he believes that it was distinct, 

 as the species now living there certainly is. 



The Amblyrhynchus, a remarkable genus of lizards, is 

 confined to this archipelago ; there arc two species, resembling 

 each other in general form, one being terrestrial and the other 

 aquatic. This latter species (A. cristatus) was first character- 

 ised by Mr. Bell, who well foresaw, from its short, broad head, 

 and strong claws of equal length, that its habits of life would 

 turn out very peculiar, and different from those of its nearest 

 ally, the Iguana. It is extremely common on all the islands 



AMBLYRHYNCHUS CRISTATUS. «, TOOTH OF NATURAL SIZE, AND LIKEWISE MAGNIFIED. 



throughout the group, and lives exclusively on the rocky sea- 

 beaches, being never found, at least I never saw one, even ten 

 yards in-shore. It is a hideous-looking creature, of a dirty 

 black colour, stupid, and sluggish in its movements. The 

 usual length of a full-grown one is about a yard, but there are 

 some even four feet long ; a large one weighed twenty pounds : 

 on the island of Albemarle they seem to grow to a greater size 

 than elsewhere. Their tails are flattened sideways, and all 

 four feet partially webbed. They are occasionally seen some 

 hundred yards from the shore, swimming about ; and Captain 

 Collnett, in his Voyage, says, " They go to sea in herds 

 a-fishing, and sun themselves on the rocks ; and may be called 

 alligators in miniature." It must not, however, be supposed 

 that they live on fish. When in the water this lizard swims 

 with perfect case and quickness, by a serpentine movement of 



