THE GUANA.
241
walking, a kind of snake-like motion ; when, however, it is attacked by a dog, or frightened by the sound of approaching footsteps, it throws this unwieldy member over its back, and starts away with the greatest activity. The groundlizard lives in deep holes, which it burrows in the ground, (from whence its name ;) its food is the young herbage, fruit, vegetables, or anything of the kind that falls in its way ; it holds its prey firmly with its fore-feet, while it tears it to pieces with its teeth, and then swallows it with much apparent gusto, putting out its long slender red tongue, in the manner of a dog. I have often fed a ground-lizard with the fruit of the soursop, for the purpose of watching its movements ; and if a piece of its favourite fare was delayed for a little longer than it deemed necessary, it would turn up its bright round eyes upon me, as if asking why I balked its appetite. Ground-lizards are also extremely choleric, and will fight with their own species for an hour together. The mode of warfare is to spring forwards, grapple each other with their fore-paws, throw their long tails around each other's body, and in this situation roll over and over in the dust, until one of them acknowledges itself conquered by striving to retire. The iguana, or guana, sometimes attains the length of from four or five feet, measuring from the point of the snout to the extremity of the tail ; its usual size, however, is from three to four feet. It is of a deep emerald green, with the upper part of the head, the feet, tail, and legs, of a dull ash colour. Along the summit of the back and tail runs a deeply serrated membrane, almost like the fin of some fish ; the head is surmounted by a kind of crown, or crest, from which circumstance it has obtained the name of " king of the lizards;" and underneath its jaws hangs a kind of comb, which it can inflate when angry or excited. Like all the lacerta tribe, its mouth is well furnished with teeth, with which, when exasperated, it inflicts deep wounds; but, in general, it is a quiet and inoffensive animal, feeding in its wild state upon leaves of trees, vegetables, insects, or, when it can procure them, VOL.
II.
M