SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



107 



an elegant species of lizard, of a dark blue and 

 orange colour. I engaged a boy to catch me 

 half a dozen, for which I gave him a quarter of 

 a dollar : he unfortunately spread the report 

 of this commission through the town, and the 

 next day all the idle fellows of the place beset 

 my lodgings with strings of lizards — the 

 whole neighbourhood seeming to have been 

 ransacked for them. 



The appearance of the fire-flies in the even- 

 ing is very beautiful, and, to an European, 

 surprising. Soon after sun-set the air is filled 

 with small luminous floating sparks, shooting 

 in every direction, and vanishing in an instant. 

 This was the first place where I had seen 

 them in such great abundance, but my at- 

 tempts to take them were unsuccessful. 



The evenings spent in these regions in the 

 open air are more delightful than those of the 

 finest parts of Italy ; and the appearance of 

 the sides of the mountains round the town at 



