74 The Naturalist in La Plata. 



mended in consequence, reminding one of very- 

 ancient words : " Happy shall he be that taketh thy 

 little ones and dasheth them against the stones." 

 In arraying such a variety of enemies against the 

 snake, nature has made ample amends for having 

 endowed it with deadly weapons. Besides, the 

 power possessed by venomous snakes only seems 

 to us disproportionate ; it is not really so, except in 

 occasional individual encounters. Venomous snakes 

 are always greatly outnumbered by non-venomous 

 ones in the same district ; at any rate this is the 

 case on the pampas. The greater activity of the 

 latter counts for more in the result than the deadly 

 weapons of the former. 



The large teguexin lizard of the pampas, called 

 iguana by the country people, is a notable snake- 

 killer. Snakes have, in fact, no more formidable enemy, 

 for he js quick to see, and swift to overtake them. 

 He is practically invulnerable, and deals them sudden 

 death with his powerful tail. The gauchos say that 

 dogs attacking the iguana are sometimes known to 

 have their legs broken, and I do not doubt it. A 

 friend of mine was out riding one day after his 

 cattle, and having attached one end of his lasso to 

 the saddle, he let it trail on the ground. He noticed 

 a large iguana lying apparently asleep in the sun, 

 and though he rode by it very closely, it did not 

 stir ; but no sooner had he passed it, than it raised 

 its head, and fixed its attention on the forty feet of 

 lasso slowly trailing by. Suddenly it rushed after 

 the rope, and dealt it a succession of violent blows 

 with its tail. When the whole of the lasso, several 

 yards of which had been pounded in vain, had been 



