THE BLIND-WORM 289 



quite as long with nothing to eat, and seem none the worse for its 

 long fast. 



After they have caught them and taken them home, the 

 hunters sell the iguanas for food. One would scarcely think that 

 that ugly, fierce-looking reptile would be very good to eat; yet its 

 flesh is very delicate, and is said to be quite as good as the breast 

 of a spring chicken. Iguana cutlets, too, are considered a great 

 dainty; so when an iguana is caught there is not much difficulty 

 in selling it. 



When the iguana finds that it cannot frighten away intruders, 

 it begins to think of moving away itself. If it only thought of 

 this in time it would not be so easily caught, for it climbs well 

 in spite of its clumsy-looking frame, passing briskly from branch 

 to branch, and moving along quite easily and quickly. 



When it is alarmed an iguana will often jump into a river 

 or other water, for it can swim well and swiftly. With fore-legs 

 stretched out in front, and hind-legs pressed closely against its 

 body, it propels itself by means of its long tail, which it waves to 

 and fro in the water just as a crocodile does. And it need be in 

 no fear of drowning, for it can hold its breath so long that, if it 

 were plunged under water, and held there for a time, it would not 

 be much the worse when it was released. 



THE BLIND-WORM 



Crawling through the grass in a meadow, or on a heath, we 

 sometimes see a brown, slender animal, about a foot long, which 

 looks like a snake. It has no yellow patches behind its head, 

 however, like a common snake, and no chain of black markings 

 down its back, like a viper. We thus know that it is not a snake 

 at all, but only a lizard without legs. It is called the Blind-worm, 

 and it cannot bite us or hurt us in any way. 



Perhaps we think that we should like to look at it more closely, 

 and we stoop to pick it up; and then probably a most curious 

 thing will happen. Instead of gliding away, the blind-worm begins 

 to jump up and down in the air! 



(M868) ^ 



