3442 Visit to Teneriffe, 



Dugesii) in stone walls, upon sunny rocks, and house-tops, where it 

 sits motionless with extended tail and uplifted head, darting off with 

 great velocity upon the near approach of any one, but stopping now 

 and then to look back. It bites hard when seized, and holds on with 

 great tenacity. As usual in the genus, the tail breaks off easily and 

 is reproduced. My largest specimen measured 10 inches in length. 

 The gecko is a common inmate of the houses, and from its usually 

 sluggish motions the agility it displays in catching flies is surprizing. 

 It creeps stealthily along the walls and ceilings until close to its prey, 

 when within reach it makes a sudden dart, and seldom misses the ob- 

 ject or fails to secure a footing after making the spring. In the town 

 a capital inn, kept by an Englishman, furnished us with the requisite 

 accommodation ; a magnificent Acacia, several fine bananas, and a 

 beautiful palm, growing in the court, were much admired. 



In order to ascend the Peak of Teneriffe one must start from the 

 town of Orotava, on the opposite (or northern) side of the island, dis- 

 tant from Santa Cruz about 25 miles. Horses having been procured, 

 w r ith a boy or lad on foot to accompany each and carry part of the 

 luggage, we left Santa Cruz on the morning of April 30th. Passing 

 some large water-tanks on our left (necessary for the supply of the 

 town on account of the occasional long droughts), for a few miles we 

 traversed a wide road well paved with rough stones, as in Madeira and 

 the Azores. At a small venta (or roadside tavern) we stopped to look 

 at a group of peasantry on their way to market, breakfasting outside 

 upon a mess of maize-meal and cold water stirred up together, and 

 some scraps offish cooked over a little charcoal fire. Several vultures 

 (Neophron percnopterus) were seen hereabouts. A mile of road worn 

 out of the rock, and looking like the dried-up bed of a torrent, brought 

 us, still ascending, to the commencement of the elevated plain of La- 

 gun a, and soon afterwards we entered the city of the same name, no- 

 minally the capital of the island, and reputed to contain a population 

 of about 10,000 souls. But the place seemed nearly deserted: grass 

 was growing in the streets and weeds on the walls and house-tops — a 

 few wretched shops only were open, and few people were to be seen 

 out of doors. The principal square contains some large public build- 

 ings, and mansions of the old nobility, some of whom still live here 

 in a state of seclusion. Fields of luxuriant lentils, maize, rye, barley, 

 and flax, all in full flower, made the whole plain of Laguna appear 

 one large garden. Few trees occur to vary the scene. At one place 

 we passed between rows of the Great American Aloe (Agave America- 

 na) user! as a fence. The botanist would have been delighted with 



