IGUANOID GROUP. 
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strongly serrated on its inner border of its basal joint. The compressed and crested 
tail is about equal to one and a half times the length of the head and body, and is 
covered with equal-sized keeled scales. In colour this lizard is black or blackish 
brown above, with the abdomen and the inner surfaces of the thighs not unfrequently 
of a dirty white. In the young state, however, the upper-parts are brown with 
paler spots, and more or less distinctly marked dark crossbars on the back. In 
weight, full-grown examples reach as much as 20 lbs. 
The sea-lizard is extremely common on the rocky coasts of the various islands 
of the Galapagos Group, but is seldom found more than some ten yards from the 
shore. Of its habits Darwin writes that “ this lizard swims with perfect ease and 
quickness by a serpentine movement of its body and flattened tail—the legs being 
motionless and closely collapsed on its sides. A seaman on board 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, it was quite active. Their limbs and strong claws 
are admirably adapted for crawling over the rugged and fissured masses of lava, 
which everywhere form the coast. In such situations, a group of six or seven of 
these hideous reptiles may oftentimes be seen on the black rocks, a few feet above 
the surf, basking in the sun with outstretched legs.” After mentioning that the 
stomachs of several examples that were examined contained finely minced seaweed, 
and also observing that the droves seen swimming out to sea were doubtless in 
search of food of this nature, the same author proceeds to state that, when frightened, 
these lizards absolutely refuse to enter the water. “ Hence,” he continues, “ it is 
easy to drive these lizards down to any little point overhanging the sea, where they 
will sooner allow a person to catch hold of their tails than enter the water. They 
do not seem to have any notion of biting, but when much frightened they squirt a 
drop of fluid from each nostril. I threw one several times as far as I could into a 
deep pool left by the retiring tide, but it invariably returned in a direct line to the 
spot where I stood. It swam near the bottom, with a very graceful and rapid 
movement, and occasionally aided itself over the uneven ground with its feet. As 
soon as it arrived near the edge, but still being under water, it tried to conceal 
itself in the tufts of seaweed, or it entered some crevice. As soon as it thought the 
danger was past, it crawled out on the dry rocks, and shuffled away as quickly as 
it could. I several times caught the same lizard by driving it down to a point, and, 
though possessed of such perfect powers of diving and swimming, nothing would 
induce it to enter the water; and as often as I threw it in, it returned in the manner 
above described. Perhaps 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.” Later observers have 
borne testimony to the extraordinary numbers in which the sea-lizards are to be 
met with in the Galapagos, and likewise as to their food consisting mainly of broad- 
leaved sea-leaves. 
Galapagos Although originally included in the same genus as its aquatic 
Land-Lizards, cousin, there seems no doubt that the land-lizard of the Galapagos 
(Conolophus subcristatus) is entitled to stand as the representative of a distinct 
generic group; the nearly cylindrical tail and perfectly free toes being distinctive 
characters which cannot well be overlooked. Not reaching within some 11 inches 
