288 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



its back gives it a very formidable appearance; and the curious 

 hanging pouch underneath its chin makes it look more uncouth 

 still. 



If you approach it, it does not attempt to run away, but tries 

 to make itself look more fierce than ever, by puffing out its pouch, 

 and lashing its long tail from side to side. Indeed the animal is 



Iguana 



very easily caught; for you can get so close to it that you simply 

 have to make a noose at the end of a long cord, and slip it 

 over its head. 



That is the way in which the hunters generally capture an 

 iguana; and then, with a sharp jerk, they bring it to the ground. 

 If they want to take it away alive, they tie up its mouth, for its 

 teetli are very sharp, and it well knows how to use them. 



One would naturally think that if kept for weeks without food 

 it would starve to death, but, like a great many other reptiles, it 

 can live for a long time without food. The green turtles, to 

 which we have already referred, are often kept in the hold of a 

 ship for several weeks without food; and the iguana can live 



