The Iguana. 513 
a rich and varied mixture of darker and lighter green, 
interspersed with specks and marks of yellow, brown, 
black, and sometimes even red. The head is covered 
with large angular scales, and the rest of the upper parts 
with very small ones. The tail is generally much longer 
than the body. Beneath the throat there is a kind of 
collar, formed by scales of much darker colour than the 
rest of the animal. 
The Lizard seems occasionally to lay aside its natural 
gentleness of disposition, but no further than for the 
purpose of obtaining food. Mr. Edwards once surprised 
a Lizard in the act of fighting with a small bird, as she 
sat on her nest in a vine against a wall, with newly- 
hatched young. He supposed that the Lizard would 
have made a prey of the latter, could it have driven the 
old bird from her nest. He watched the contest for 
some time ; but, on his near approach, the Lizard 
dropped to the ground, and the bird flew off. 
THE IGUANA, (Iguana tuberculata,) 
Which is found commonly in the tropical parts of Ame- 
rica, is a large kind of lizard, often measuring four or 
five feet in length. It has a crest of long teeth, looking 
like a comb, along its back ; its tail is long, tapering, 
and slender ; and beneath its throat it has a sort of 
pouch which it can dilate considerably. The colour of 
this lizard is greenish, with brown bands on the tail. 
The Iguana is found in trees, and feeds chiefly on fruits 
and other vegetable substances. It is usually caught 
when reposing upon a branch, and by a very simple 
process: the hunter approaches it whistling, and the 
animal is stupid enough to sit still, no doubt enjoying 
the music, until a noose, attached to the end of a stick, 
is passed over its head. It is captured for the sake of 
its flesh, which is regarded as very delicate. 
An Iguana, which was kept for some time in a hothouse 
at Bristol, was fed on the leaves of kidney bean plants, 
which it devoured eagerly, after refusing every other 
kind of food that had been offered it. It seems certain 
that Iguanas in their natural state are not entirely herbi- 
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