58 LITTLE FOLKS 
Speaking of beauty, I don't think this fellow has much to 
boast of; to tell the truth, I'm perfectly willing he should live in 
Brazil. 
He is gentle and harmless, and his flesh is very nice in a stew 
or a roast. He has a sort of crest, running from his head to the 
end of his tail, and he is covered with small scales. 
But the oddest thing about him, is the bag or pouch which 
hangs from his chin. Some travelers say that when he is angry 
or excited, that pouch puffs out quite large — but others deny it — 
and when naturalists themselves disagree, stay-at-homes — like you 
and me — can't expect to know which is the truth. 
Some Iguanas live in trees, but come down to the sea shore 
to deposit their eggs in the warm sand. These eggs are not hard 
like a hen's, but soft like leather, and of a light yellow color, about 
the size of a pigeon's egg. When the baby Iguana comes out of 
the shell, it is about four inches long. 
The most useful thing an Iguana has, is his tail. It is more 
than twice as long as his body, and an extremely handy organ. 
When hunted by dogs, as he is in his native country, nothing could 
be better to slap and inflict severe wounds on his enemies, than 
that sharply notched tail. If that is not enough, however, he has 
recourse to his claws and teeth, and can scratch and bite savagely. 
In swimming, the tail is no less useful, for he draws his legs 
close to his body, and uses only the tail, moving it like a snake 
through the water. He is a vegetable eater. 
Some of the Iguanas, for there are several varieties, live on 
the sea shore, and are fond of swimming out into the sea, and 
diving to the bottom for their food, which consists of weeds that 
grow there. 
Still another kind, that Mr. Darwin found in one of the Galle- 
pagos Islands, digs for itself a home in the ground. He does his 
digging in as odd a way as he does everything else. He works 
only one side at a time, one fore foot scratches up the dirt, and 
throws it back when the hind foot pushes it out of the hole. When 
that side of his body is tired, the creature goes to digging with the 
other side. 
The same gentleman tells how they raise themselves up on 
their fore legs, like the one in the picture, nodding their heads and 
trying to look very fierce ; but if a person stamps his foot at them, 
down goes the tail, and off scrambles Mr. Iguana to his hole. 
