686 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



and bites them on the head, the flanks, seldom on the paws or 

 tail. The large lizard in particular was the favorite object of his 

 attacks. The good-humored animal paid no attention to this, till 

 we were on the point of asking ourselves whether he did not re- 

 gard these bitings as marks of friendship. This lasted some two 

 or three months. But one fine day — we were present at the scene 

 — the large lizard became impatient. He seized the Spaniard with 

 his formidable mouth, shook it, let it go, and then set in chase of 

 it. The other ran off as fast as he could, giving all the signs of 

 terror. After this the large lizard became quiet, and even seemed 

 to have forgotten the matter. 



The Spaniard took no notice of the generosity of its antagonist. 

 Only becoming more prudent, it devised other tactics. Pretend- 

 ing indifference, it approached the Hercules slyly and a step at 

 a time, and when it was near enough to him struck him with its 

 jaw and ran away. Finally, the large lizard concluded that the 

 Spaniard was too provoking; he sprang upon it anew, caught 

 it, and gave it a forcible blow. After that the Spaniard re- 

 garded itself as beaten, always fled at the approach of the large 

 one, and let him alone. After that, too, it prepared to make its 

 attacks and bitings on the smaller ones. Its bad character be- 

 came the cause of its being given a privileged position. It was 

 put in the cage only while the others were allowed to be at large. 

 If it sees us playing with them, it comes and goes into its cage 

 like a troubled soul, and vents its anger upon the trellis. It is 

 exceedingly jealous, and its jealousy blinds it so much that it 

 could not refrain from still taking its satisfaction out of the 

 large one if it saw him running over me. The rest of the time 

 it played freely, and did not abuse its liberty in any other way. 

 It usually perches on its cage by the side of the chest furnished 

 with rags, which serves as its sleeping-room. Toward three or 

 four o'clock in the afternoon it regularly goes to bed, and comes 

 from it habitually toward sunrise. Is not this a singular history ; 

 and does it not show that animals have passions, preferences, 

 and antipathies, differences of character and changing moods 

 which we have thought exclusively applied to men ? 



We now come to traits of intelligence. The cover of the 

 Spanish lizard's chest slides. If it is pushed so as to leave a crack 

 not large enough for him to go through, he works perseveringly, 

 pushing his head into it till he has made it large enough. If the 

 opening is too small for that, he scratches at it and makes a great 

 noise with his paws, for the purpose, apparently, of making him- 

 self heard. In the same way sparrows knock on the windows of 

 houses where they are accustomed to being fed. This reminds 

 me of a story of a sparrow. 



Several years ago I tamed one in the country. It was free in the 



