8 4 



THE HUMMING BIRD. 



\ November i, 189Ï 



Papaloapam overflows its borders, and the surrounding 

 plains are totally inundated for several weeks, some- 

 times months ; as I have witnessed several times. 

 During that period it is very common to see 

 alligators far away from the bed of the river. This 

 water gradually dries up, and large tracks of land are 

 transformed into lagunas or large pools, which also 

 dry in course of time. The alligators which have 

 gone astray from the river are seen frequently in these 

 lagunas, and are said to bury themselves entirely in 

 the mud before their complete drying up, and remain 

 there until another inundation releases them from their 

 abnormal state of inaction and torpor. It may be for 

 months or even for years; but it is believed by all, that 

 life is not extinct and that they revive when immersed 

 in water for several hours or days. They told me that 

 Indians when ploughing their fields have found many 

 buried that way. Crocodilians lay eggs, about the size 

 of those of turkeys, but they are oblongand have harder 

 shells, they deposit them in holes on the banks of the 

 rivers and ponds. They are good to eat, but not so 

 much appreciated as Iguana or turtle eggs. The 

 flesh of young crocodiles is sometimes eaten by the 

 natives of Mexico. 



I have never seen hides made from the large 

 Species of Iguanidae found in tropical America, but 

 it is probable that they could be dressed and used 

 for the same purposes as the hides of crocodiles. 

 They are considered a good food, a fact which I can 

 Corroborate, as I have breakfasted many times on 

 them. Their eggs, a little larger than those of a 



Î)igeon, have soft shells and are considered a 

 uxury. 



The two families of snakes, whose skins are 

 dressed for industrial purposes, are the Pythonidae, or 

 Rock Snakes, found in the hottest parts of Africa, 

 Asia and Australia, and the Boidae, or Boas, re- 

 stricted to the tropical parts of America. All of 

 them attain a very large size, from 1 2 to 30 feet, and 

 wide in proportion. They climb as well as swim, 

 most of them preferring the neighbourhood of water. 

 In the rainy season I have seen several monster boas 

 caught in Playa Vicente, State of Oaxica, " Mexico." 

 I do not remember exactly their length, but their 

 width was 20 inches. One of them was of such an 

 extraordinary size that a real path was perceptible 

 where it passed and it was by following it that it was 

 discovered and captured. 



The skins of these snakes can be easily dressed 

 and are much wanted for their softness and the 

 brilliancy of their designs. 



Now we come to Fishes whose skins are also em- 

 ployed for industrial purposes, but this industry is yet 

 in its infancy and I have no doubt that before long, 

 many species will be wanted for that purpose. 



For the present I can only mention skins* of 

 Gadtdae, or Cod-fishes, which were exhibited by 

 Norway and Sweden in the Paris International 

 Exhibition of 1889. As a member of the Interna- 

 tional Jury, Class 43, I had to classify, for prizes, all 

 objects connected with hunting and fishing, and I 

 Was much interested with all the products extracted 

 from cod-fishes which I saw in the exhibits of Sweden 

 and Norway. Among them were hides of several 

 species of large fishes, especially cod-fishes. They 



were soft and strong, and the designs were attractive. 

 I have just heard that a good leather was made with 

 the American White Fish. I call the attention of 

 manufacturers to the above facts, and I advise them 

 to give a good trial to these skins. Success is 

 certain. 



a. boucard. 



A Visit to the British Museum. 

 Natural History Department. 



Continued from page 82. 



In cases 19—21 are the Iguanidae, some of them 

 growing to the length of five feet, and highly esteemed 

 as food. Their eggs are considered a great 

 delicacy. The curious Phrynosoma, found in North 

 America and Mexico in sandy places, have the 

 faculty to take the same colours as the sands where it 

 inhabits, which makes it very difficult to detect. This 

 is a particular case of mimicry, but rather common in 

 Reptiles. The Frilled Lizard, Chlamydosaurus kingi; 

 the Draco Dragon or Flying Lizard ; the Moloch, 

 Moloch horridus, an extraordinary creature from 

 Australia. It is entirely covered with tubercles and 

 spines, which gives it a most repulsive appearance; 

 but otherwise it is quite harmless. 



In case 22 are exhibited the Chamœleontidae or 

 Chameleons, peculiar to Africa, Madagascar, India 

 and Ceylon. The most remarkable part of this 

 animal is the tongue, which is exceedingly long, worm- 

 like, with a club-shaped, viscous end. They shoot it 

 out with incredible rapidity towards insects, which 

 remain attached to it, and are thus caught. They 

 have the faculty of changing colour. 



In cases 23 — 27 is the order Ophidia, or Snakes, 

 among which the most remarkable exhibits are the 

 Pythonidae, or Rock Snakes ; the Boidae, or Boas, 

 which attain sometimes a length of 30 feet ; the 

 Elapidae, Elaps, commonly called Coral Snakes, 

 which are brilliantly coloured, red and black being 

 foremost with them ; the Hydrophidae, or Sea Snakes ; 

 the Viperidae, or Vipers, of which the well-known 

 common British Viper is one of the smallest ; the 

 Crotalidae, or Rattle Snakes, so well known by the 

 rattle at the end of the tail, formed by several horny 

 rings, which the animal shakes when irritated. It is 

 said that each ring means one year of age. When 

 warming itself in the sun, on the sand or small 

 pebbles, it is very difficult to detect, as it always lays 

 on sand or stones of its same colour. It is only 

 when trodden upon that it may be dangerous ; but 

 otherwise they remain under stones and are scarcely 

 seen. I have taken quite a large number without any 

 difficulty or risk. 



Cases 28- -44 contains the series of Chelotiians or 

 Tortoises and Turtles. About 300 species are known, 

 the principal types being, Sphargis coriaceus or Leather 

 Turtle, which is found throughout all the seas of the 



