35 6 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
number of them together in the water. It is only when a man or woman is 
alone that the crocodile makes his rush. 
As regards the crocodile’s movements it does not appear to be realised by 
most people how he gets over the ground. I find there is a general idea that in 
some way the crocodile slithers along on its stomach till it reaches the water. 
As a matter of fact the great reptile walks or runs over the ground on its feet 
with the body carried horizontally and raised some inches above the surface of 
the soil. In this way it trots along on its short legs in a manner which is 
neither imposing nor picturesque, but which seems consistent with rapid move¬ 
ment. I have never seen this represented in pictures which are either done 
from dead crocodiles or represent the animal at rest on its stomach. 
The Tortoise order is represented by the Cinyxis , or Hinged tortoise 
(C. belliana), by various species of Testudo, by the Sternothcerus , and in the 
lakes and rivers by soft leathery-skinned tortoises of the genus Cycloderma. 
The last-named are carnivorous. Their shells are leathery and are not out¬ 
wardly divided into segments. The upper jaw is prolonged into a short 
proboscis. These river tortoises which spend the greater part of their lives 
in the water and mud are very fierce and with their horny jaws can give a 
severe bite. 
Varanus lizards are common and sometimes attain six feet in length, 
measured from the tip of the very long tail. They are altogether carnivorous 
and subsist chiefly on small mammals and birds, but their favourite article of 
diet is eggs. As the skin of this lizard under the name of “Iguana” is much 
used nowadays for making bags and purses it might be worth while to export 
Varanus skins from this part of Africa, as it would encourage the natives to 
keep down these mischievous reptiles which cause much damage in poultry 
yards by eating the eggs and killing the fowls. 
Among other lizards may be mentioned the handsome Agama (A. colonorum 
or a closely allied species) which appears to extend its range from West Africa 
where it is extremely common. This Agama is almost the prettiest coloured 
of all lizards, the male having an orange-scarlet head and throat, a steel-blue 
body which in parts becomes cobalt, while the upper half of the tail is deep 
blue and the remainder bright red (the female is olive, spotted with brown). 
The most vivid development of these colours is certainly seen in West Africa ; 
indeed the species I have observed in Nyasaland is apt to have the scarlet tints 
replaced by orange while the blue is a little less vivid. Three other species of 
Agama not so remarkable for beauty have been sent home by us. Unfor¬ 
tunately the Agama with the gorgeous colours loses them rapidly after death. 
We have discovered five species of chameleon, belonging to the genera 
Chamceleon and Rampholeon. All these were new to science. One of these 
chameleons attains a very considerable size in the male—about eighteen inches 
from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail. This animal can give a 
severe bite owing to the strength of its jaws and the sharpness of the ridges 
of serrated bone which constitute its teeth. It is very savage and will 
occasionally dart at the hand, open-mouthed. The male has a great scaly 
horn projecting from his head. 
Although venomous snakes are so well represented — for we have at 
least one cobra, a tree cobra (. Dendraspis ), a horned viper, the puff-adder, 
and the Cape viper ( Caucus )—it is wonderful how seldom one hears of 
natives dying from the bite of a snake. The cobras are chiefly dangerous 
to live-stock. They kill and carry off ducks and fowls, and sometimes out 
