IGUANAS AND LIZARDS. 257 
began whistling with all his might, to which the 
guana was wonderfully attentive, stretching out his 
neck and turning his head as if to enjoy it more fully. 
The negro now approached, still whistling, and ad- 
vancing his rod gently, began tickling with the end 
of it the sides and throat of the guana, who seemed 
mightily pleased with the operation, for he turned on 
his back and stretched himself out like a cat before 
the fire, and at length fell asleep, which the negro 
perceiving, dexterously slipped the noose over his 
head, and with a jerk brought him to the ground. 
And good sport it afforded, to see the creature swell 
like a turkey-cock at finding himself entrapped. We 
caught more in the same way, and kept one alive 
seven or eight days; but it grieved me to the heart to 
find that he thereby lost much delicious fat.” 
The iguana eats only vegetable food, and passes 
most of its time in the trees, though it has holes to 
which it can retire. The mangrove is its favorite 
resort, and many have I seen lying along the branches 
feeding upon the leaves. This tree, though not ma- 
jestic, nor really beautiful, is extremely interesting 
from the aerial character of its roots. Growing on 
the border of the ocean, so near that the waves lap 
against its stem, and in salt-water lagoons, where the 
water is shallow and the mud very deep, it sends 
forth numberless roots from above the water, which 
strike out in all directions, and finally seem to lift it 
up as though upon a trestle-work. It is thus a curious 
sight; and as these mangroves grow in masses, their 
roots form an intricate and impenetrable network, be- 
neath which all sorts of marine and sea-side shell-fish 
and vegetation abound. 
17 
