THE CHAMELEON— IGUANAS— THE TEJU. 



631 



moving its stiflf head, this wonderful lizard, like Janus, the double-faeed god of ancient 

 Rome, can see at the same time all that goes on before and behind it. When an in- 

 sect comes flying along, the chameleon, perched on a branch, and half concealed between 

 the foliage, follows it in all its movements by means of his powerful telescopes, until 

 the proper moment for action appears. Then, quick as thought, he darts forth, even 

 to a distance of five or six inches, his long fleshy glutinous tongue, which is moreover 

 furnished with a dilated and somewhat tubular tip, and driving it back with the same 

 lightning-like velocity, engulfs his prey. This independence of the eyes is owing to 

 the imperfect sympathy which subsists between the two lobes of the brain and the two 

 sets of nerves which ramify throughout the opposite sides of its frame. Hence also 

 one side of the body may be asleep while the other is vigilant, one may be green 

 while the other is ash-blue, and it is even said that the Chameleon is utterly unable to 

 swim, because the muscles of both sides are incapable of acting in concert. Destined 

 for a life upon trees, he is provided with organs beautifully adapted for supporting 

 himself on the flexible branches ; for besides the cylindrical tail nearly as long as his 

 body which he coils round the boughs, his five toes are united two and three by a 

 common skin, so as to form, as it were, a pair of pincers or a kind of hand, admirably 

 suited for a holdfast. 



Among the Iguanas, a huge lizard tribe, characterized by a keel-like back and 

 tail, and a large full-toothed throat-pouch, the common or great American Guana 

 [Iguana tuberculata) deserves particular notice, as its white flesh is considered a 

 great delicacy in Brazil and the West Indies. Notwithstanding its large size, for it 

 not seldom attains a length of four or five feet, and the formidable appearance of its 

 serrated back, it is in reality by no means of a warlike disposition, and so stupid that, 

 instead of endeavoring to save itself by a timely flight, it merely stares with its large 

 eyes, and inflates its pouch, while the noose is passing round its neck to drag it forth 

 from its hole. The Bahama islands abound with Guanas, which form a great part of 

 the subsistence of the inhabitants. They are caught by dogs, trained for the purpose, 

 in the hollow rocks and trees where they nestle, and are either carried alive for sale to 

 Carolina, or kept for home consumption. They feed wholly on vegetables and fruit, 

 particularly on a kind of fungus, growing at the roots of trees, and on the fruits of the 

 diff'erent kinds of ananas, whence their flesh most likely acquires its delicate flavor. 



The famous South American monitory lizard or Teju, (Tejus momtoi\) is one of the 

 largest and most beautiful of the whole race, as he measures no less than five feet from 

 the snout to the tip of the tail, which is nearly twice as long as the body, while his 

 black color, variegated with bright yellow bands and spots, produces an agreeable and 

 pleasing effect. The head is small, the snout gradually tapers, the limbs are slender, 

 and the tail, which is laterally compressed, gradually decreases towards the extremity. 

 The Teju lives in cavities and hollows, frequently under the roots of trees. When 

 pursued, he runs rapidly straight forward to his burrow; but when his retreat is inter- 

 cepted, he defends himself valiantly, and proves a by no means contemptible an- 

 tagonist, as he is able to bite through a thick boot, and a stroke with his strong and 

 muscular tail will completely disable a dog. Though the Monitor generally lives on 

 land, he is an excellent swimmer, and catches many a fish in its native element. His 

 chief food, however, consists in various fruits, rats, mice, birds, and he also devours a 

 large number of the eggs and young of the alligator. 



