MR.  W.  S.  MACLEAY  ON  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  URANIA.  183 
Immediately  behind  such  a  belt  as  I  have  described,  which  may  be  from  ten  to  twenty 
yards  broad,  we  find  amidst  a  variety  of  smaller  plants,  such  as  Russelia  sarmentosa, 
Sophora  Havanensis,  Plumbago  scanclens,  ^c,  many  sea-side  shrubs  growing  in  the 
parched  sand,  of  which  the  most  remarkable  are  the  odoriferous  Plumeria  alba,  on  the 
bright  leaves  of  which  crawls  the  enormous  black  and  yellow  caterpillar  of  Sphinx 
Asdrubal,  Cram.  ;  the  curious  Suriana  maritima,  Linn.,  which  has  its  rugged  hard  red 
trunk  perforated  by  the  larva  of  a  Cossus  {Cossus  Suriance,  mihi)  ;  several  species  of 
Cordia,  the  bunched  flowers  of  which  vary  through  every  shade,  from  the  purest  white 
to  the  most  vivid  orange  and  scarlet ;  the  elegant  sea-side  Fan-Palm,  or  Thrinax  par- 
viflora,  Swartz;  with  Duranta  Ellisia,  Omphalea  triandra,  Casalpinice  of  various  species, 
Cactus  tetragonus,  Cactus  grandijlorus,  and  many  more  humble  species  of  the  same 
Linnffian  genus  ^  &c.  All  this  variety  of  foliage  is  in  general  festooned  with  the  flowers 
of  different  species  of  Convolvulus,  Ipomoea,  Echites,  Paullinia,  and  other  climbing  ge- 
nera ;  while  those  leaves  more  exposed  to  the  sea  breeze  are  each  studded  with  small 
terrestrial  shells 2  inhabited  by  their  native  Mollusca,  and  large  sea  shells-^  brought  from 
their  original  element  by  the  singular  Paf/wn^  which  have  usurped  them,  cluster  round 
the  short  stunted  trunks.    Here,  when  grey  lizards-''  of  different  sizes,  with  yellow 
'  Oviedo  describes  three  kinds  of  West  Indian  Cardones,  viz.  las  Tunas,  los  Cirios  and  las  Pitahayas.  Under 
the  name  of  Tuna  he  certainly  meant  to  designate  certain  prickly  species  of  De  Candolle's  genus  Opuntia;  and 
los  Cirios  (so  called  "  porque  parescen  cirios  o  hachas  de  cera  excepto  en  las  espinas,")  certainly  coincide  with 
De  Candolle's  subgenus  Cereastri  of  the  genus  Cereus.  The  Pitahaya  of  Oviedo  appears  to  liave  been  the  Cercus 
tetragonus,  whereas  the  Pitahaya  of  the  Spanish  Creoles  of  the  present  day  is  certainly  the  Cereus  grandijlorus, 
or  night-blowing  Cereus.  This  has  the  ripe  fruit  yellow,  whereas  Oviedo  describes  the  fruit  of  his  Pitahaya  as 
being  of  a  colour  "  carmesi  rosado."  Nopal  appears  to  have  been  a  name  adopted  from  the  Mexicans,  and  to 
have  been  applied  to  the  smooth  species  of  Opuntia,  such  as  Op.  cochenillifera. 
-  Belonging  to  the  genera  Phasianella  and  Pupa,  but  principally  the  latter. 
3  Chiefly  Tm-bo  Pica,  Linn. 
*  Principally  Pagurus  Diogenes,  known  in  Cuba  by  the  name  of  Macao ;  on  the  habits  and  history  cf  which 
curious  Crustacea  some  most  interesting  remarks  have  been  published  by  my  friend  W.  J.  Broderip,  Esq.,  in 
the  'Zoological  Journal',  vol.  iv.  p.  200. 
*  There  is  a  rude  but  sufficiently  correct  representation  of  these  Lizards  given  by  Rochefort,  under  the  name 
of  le  Roquet.  He  says,  "  Les  Roquets  ....  out  le  peau  de  couleur  de  feuille  morte,  qui  est  marquee  de  petis 
points  jaunes,  ou  noiratres.  lis  sont  portez  sur  quatre  pieds,  dont  ceux  de  devant  sont  asses  hauts.  lis  ontles 
yens  etincelans  et  vifs  au  possible.  lis  tiennent  toujours  la  teste  elevee  en  I'air,  et  Us  sont  si  dispos,  qu'ils 
sautelent  sans  cesse,  comme  des  oiseaus,  lors  qu'ils  ne  veulent  pas  se  servir  de  leurs  aisles.  Leur  queiie  est 
tellement  retroussee  sur  le  dos,  qu'elle  fait  comme  un  cercle  et  demy.  lis  prennent  plaisir  a  voir  les  hommes, 
et  s'ils  s'arretent  au  lieu  ou  ils  sont,  ils  leur  jettent  a  chaque  fois  des  oeillades.  Quand  ils  sont  un  peu  poursuivis, 
ils  ouvrent  la  gueule,  et  tirent  la  langue  comme  de  petits  chiens  de  chasse." — Hist.  Nat.  et  Mor.  des  Antilles, 
p.  131. 
•  This  description  makes  me  almost  certain  tliat  the  Roquet  belongs  to  the  same  genus  as  the  Cuban  Lizard 
mentioned  in  the  text,  although  probably  it  is  a  different  species.  It  does  not  change  its  colour,  nor,  as  far  as 
I  know,  does  it  distend  the  throat  like  the  genus  Anolis ;  neither  are  the  toes,  as  in  that  genus,  supplied  with 
oval  disks  for  climbing,  so  that  it  is  never  seen  on  trees.    Nevertheless  Cuvier  gives  the  name  of  Roquet  to  a 
