372 
YERTEBRATA. 
mation. It is pai-ticularly in tlie rivers, lagoons, and swamps of Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana 
that the alligator reaches its greatest dimensions. Bartram found immense numbers of alligators 
and fish in a mineral spring near the Musquito River, in Florida, though the water, at its exit from 
the earth, was nearly at the boiling point, and strongly impregnated with copper and vitriol. 
Genus CAIMAN : Caiman. — This includes two or three species, the most noted of which is 
the Common Caiman or Alligator of Surinam and Guiana, C. palpehrosus. It does not attain 
so great a size as the preceding, nor is it so fierce and voracious. It will not attack a man on 
the land, nor in the water so long as he moves his legs and arms. The female deposits her eggs 
in a single layer, covers them slightly with sand, and then leaves them, taking no notice even of 
the progeny. Other species are the Trigonal Caiman, C. trigonatus, and the Swollen-Headed 
Caiman, C. gibbicepSj both found in tropical America. 
Genus JACARE: Jacare. — This also includes several species, also called Jacare and Yacare, 
by different authors. They appear to be extensively spread over tropical America, but are 
most common in the rivers of Brazil. These are never known to attack men or dogs in pass- 
ing the rivers, unless it should happen to be near the place Avhere they have deposited their 
eggs ; and even then, they do not prey upon the body, but content themselves with the fish and 
water-fowl which they find so plentiful in their own element. During the night they are exceed- 
ingly active, and always keep in the water, showing only their heads above the surface, but 
toward the middle of the day they come ashore to enjoy the heat of the sun; they then sleep 
profoundly, but always retreat to the water on being disturbed. The eggs are about the size of 
those of a goose ; they are white, and much sought after by the Indians, Avho eat them and also 
the flesh of the animal, though it has a strong musky smell, and scarcely any juice. The 
female deposits her eggs in the sand in a single layer, and covers them with straw or leaves ; few 
of them, howevei', escape the quick eye of the vulture, and even many of the young fall a prey 
to the full-grown males, which at the period of their first appearance, in the hottest part of sum- 
mer, are particularly fierce and ravenous, the marshes which they inhabit being then dried up, 
and their food difficult to obtain. The species of Jacare or Yacare are the Broad-headed Yacare, 
J. fissipes ; the Yacare, t/^. sc/Terops/ the Black Yacare, </. w?^m ; the Spotted Yacare, «/. 
punctulatus ; and Natterer's Yacare, tT. vallifrons. 
THE NIMBLE LIZABD. 
ORDERS. SAURIA. 
As a general rule the animals of this order have four well-developed legs, and come under the 
popular designation of Lizards ; but there is a considerable number grouped with these which 
