THE IGUANA. 513 



loud enough to be heard a mile off. First one gives vent to 

 this fearful sound, then another answers from a distance ; and 

 from up and down the river, and across the current, these 

 horrible noises are heard, showing that the hideous saurians 

 are in a lively mood, watching for their suppers. It is sup- 

 posed that when once they have tasted human flesh they 

 will always endeavour again to procure it. 



Humboldt mentions another instance, where an Indian, 

 landing on the banks of a shallow lagoon, was seized by a 

 cayman. With wonderful presence of mind the Indian 

 searched for a knife, but not finding it, he pressed his fingers 

 into its eyes. The monster, however, did not let go, but 

 dragged the unfortunate man down into deep water, and, to 

 the horror of several spectators, was seen swimming off with 

 the poor fellow in its jaws, to devour him on a neighbouring 

 island. 



Humboldt states that during the inundations of the Orinoco, 

 alligators have been known to crawl into the streets of An- 

 gostura and carry off human beings. 



Schombergh once saw an enormous cayman seize one of a 

 smaller species, and bear it away — not, however, without a 

 desperate struggle. In a short time the monsters reappeared, 

 wildly beating the surface with their tails. Now a huge head 

 rose up, now a tail, indistinctly seen in the seething whirlpool. 

 At length, however, the larger was beheld swimming off to a 

 sand-bank, where it immediately begun to devour its prey. 



THE IGUANA. 

 See yonder hideous-faced creatine, nearly six feet in length, 

 the size of many alligators, its head covered with scaly plates, 

 a huge dew-lap depending from its throat, its body and long 



(379) 33 



