CitissTUD AMiii.YuiiiNCiius. RKrTILES. Basilisk. 
no iinimpoitant weapon. The dentelated upper edge, 
drawn rapidly over the body and liinba of an eneinj^, 
cuts like a saw. The twisted attitude which it assumes 
when approached, is converted into a quick turn, in 
which movement the tail is nimbly struck by an over- 
blow from one side to another, and then jerked round.” 
The negroes informed IMr. Hill, that dogs in attacking 
these reptiles frequently received desjierate punish- 
ment, from the gashes and lacerations that were made 
in the thick muscles of their legs by the rapid flinging 
round of the animal in defending itself. The sudden 
jerk with which it threw back its tail was said bj' them 
to be suflident to rasp the veiy flesh oft' the bone. 
The Galapagos Islands abound in two species of 
lizards of the Iguana family, which appear to be exclu- 
sively confined to that archipelago, and have been 
described at considerable length by Jlr. Darwin in his 
“Journal of a Naturalist” during the voyage of the 
Adventure and Beagle. One is aquatic in its habits, 
the other terrestrial. 
THE CRESTED AMBLYRHYHCHUS {Amhhjrhynchua 
or Orcocephalus cristatus), the aquatic species, is 
extremely common on all the islands throughout the 
group, living exclusively on the I’ocky sea-beaches, 
and never being found ten j'ards in-shore. It is 
a hideous-looking creature, of a dirty black colour, 
stupid and sluggish in its movements, and growing to 
the length of three and even four feet. When in the 
water, to which it often takes, being sometimes seen 
several hundred yards from the shore, it swims with 
pei’fect ease and quickness by a serpentine movement 
of its body and flattened tail, the legs being motionless 
and closely' collapsed on its sides. The creature seems 
very tenacious of life. A seaman on board, says Mr. 
Darwin, “ sank one with a heavy weight attached to 
it, thinking thus to kill it directly; but when, an hour 
afterwards, he drew up the line, the lizard was quite 
active.” The food of this animal consists exclusively 
of sea- weed. It does not appear to have any notion of 
biting ; but when much frightened, it squirts a drop of 
fluid from each nostril. It is mentioned as a curious 
fact in this creature’s habits, by Mr. Darwin, tliat 
though it is decidedly aquatic, yet when frightened, it 
cannot be made to enter the water. If driven down to 
a point overhanging the sea, it will rather allow itself 
to bo laid hold of than take to the water ; and if taken 
up and thrown into the sea, it will immediately' return 
in a direct line to the shore, crawl up the rocks, and 
shullle away as fast as possible. “ Perhaps,” says this 
observer, “ this singular piece of apparent stupidity may 
be accounted for by the circumstance, that this reptile 
has no enemy whatever on shore, whereas at sea it 
must often fall a prey to the numerous sharks. Hence 
probably, urged by a fixed and hereditary instinct that 
the shore is its place of safety', whatever the emer- 
gency may be, it there takes refuge.” 
THE SUB -CRESTED AMBLYRHYNCHUS (Amhlg- 
rhynchus or Trachycephulus suhcristatus),A"^Q terrestrial 
species, is confined to the central parts of the archi- 
pelago, and is a little smaller than its aquatic brother. 
As described by Mr. Darwin, these lizards are ugly' 
animals, of a y'ellowish-orange colour beneath and of 
a brownish-red above, and have a peculiarly stupid 
27 
look. They' are exceedingly numerous, and live in 
burrows which they excavate for themselves in the 
dry soil. Mr. Darwin tells us in an amusing manner 
that he watched one of them forming its burrow, and 
looked on till half its body was buried. “ I then 
walked up and pulled it by the tail ; at this it was 
greatly astonished, and soon shuffled up to see what 
was the matter, and then stared me in the face, as 
much as to say — “What made you pull my tail?” 
They are perfectly harmless, but are not timorous. 
When encountered by any one, they' curl their tails, 
and raising themselves on their front legs, nod their 
heads vertically with a quick movement, and tiy to 
look very fierce. If the observer, however, only stamp 
his foot on the ground, down go their tails, and oil they 
shuflle as quick as they can. When cooked, these 
animals yield a white meat, which by many people 
is much relished. This species is herbivorous also, and 
is very' fond of the cacti which grow on these islands. 
Under the once dreaded name of “Basilisk,” we 
have another species belonging to the group of perch- 
ing Iguanas. The Basilisk of the ancients and of 
romantic fable was an animal generally referred to the 
serpents, but usually represented with eight feet and a 
crown upon its head. It was said to infest the deserts 
of Africa, and that no other animal dared to dwell in 
its neighbourhood, of which it retained the sole and 
undisputed dominion. It was said also to possess the 
power of siriking its victim dead by a single glance. 
Lucan, in his celebrated poem of Pharsalia, thus men- 
tions it — 
“ But fiercely hissing through the poisoned air, 
The basilisk exerts liis deathfiil glare ; 
At distance bids each vulgar pest remain. 
And reigns sole monarch of his desert plain.” 
Seba in his great work, “ Le tresor de la Nature,” 
figures a species of lizard, with its head surmounted by 
projecting lines, and its back furnished with a broad 
vertical crest extending over the tail. Thi.s creature 
he calls the Basilisk or dragon of America, and sfieaks 
of it as a flying amphibious animal. The reptile from 
which his figure and description were taken, formed 
part of the collection ceded by Holland to France, and 
is now in that of the Museum of Natural History in the 
Garden of Plants at Paris. Of this species Laurenti 
formed the genus Basiliscus, which has been adopted 
by all succeeding writers on Reptiles, and is readily 
distinguished front its congeners. 
THE HOODED OR MITRED BASILISK {Basiliscus 
mitratus or Americamts) is the only' species. The 
head of this animal is of an elongate shape, produced 
backwards, and furnished with a compressed, vertical, 
triangular crest of skin. The throat has a small 
pouch and a well marked cross fold of skin. The 
back and tail are furnished with a high compressed 
crest, which is much more distinct in the males than 
in the females, and is supported by bony rays. The 
tail is long and compressed, and the outer hinder 
toes are webbed at their base. 'When full grown, 
the Basilisk measures upwards of two feet in length, 
of which the tail usurps more than the half. Its 
colour is of a yellowish-brown, passing into whitish 
on the under parts; and a longitudinal stripe of white. 
