Part 29 (1/2)
The Iguana.
The Common Iguana which sometimes attains to a length of five feet, belongs to South America. It is a singular looking animal but is much esteemed as an article of food, its flesh resembling that of chickens.
When taken young it may be tamed by kindness but otherwise it is fierce when attacked and its bite is very severe. It is said that the natives of the Bahama Islands who subsist largely on the Iguana, sew up their mouths to prevent them biting when they wish to keep them alive for a time.
The Common Lizard.
The Common Lizard and the Sand Lizard are the varieties found in England. The Common Lizard is the smaller of the two, measuring about six inches, the Sand Lizard sometimes attaining to double that length.
The former frequents green and sunny banks and is so rapid in its movements when disturbed that it is sometimes mistaken for a viper. The latter, which frequents sandy heaths and lives in burrows, a.s.similates to the colour of its surroundings.
The Monitor.
The Monitor is the largest of the Lizards, sometimes measuring as much as six feet in length. The largest of these frequents the Nile and is known as the Nile Monitor from the habit attributed to it of signalling the presence of crocodiles by a peculiar whistling sound. Dr. Abel Smith says, ”It is usually met with in rocky precipices, or on low, stony hills, and when surprised, seeks concealment in the c.h.i.n.ks of the former, or in the irregular cavities of the latter; and when any projections exist upon the surface of the rocks or stones, it clasps them so firmly with its toes, that it becomes a task of no small difficulty to dislodge it, even though it can be easily reached. Under such circ.u.mstances, the strength of no one man is able to withdraw a full-grown individual; and I have seen two persons required to pull a specimen out of a position it had attained, even with the a.s.sistance of a rope fixed in front of its hinder legs. The moment it was dislodged, it flew with fury at its enemies, who by flight only saved themselves from being bitten. After it was killed, it was discovered that the points of all the nails had been broken previously, or at the moment it lost its hold. It feeds upon frogs, crabs, and small quadrupeds, and, from its partiality to the two former, it is often found among rocks near to springs or running streams, which fact having been observed by the natives, has led them to regard it as sacred, and not to be injured without danger of drought.”
ORDER IV.
Snakes.
There are hundreds of species of snakes, distributed in different parts of the world, of which we can only select a few, of the better known, for present purposes. These are the Viper, the Rattlesnake, the Cobra, and the Boa Constrictor.
The Viper.
The Viper is found throughout Europe and is the only venomous reptile known in England. It feeds on frogs, lizards, mice, and other small animals, but like many of the snake kind often gorges itself and falls a victim to its own rapacity. A Viper mentioned in the ”Magazine of Natural History” swallowed a lizard almost as large as itself, with the result that one of the lizard's legs protruded through its side. Another Viper came into the possession of Professor Bell, which had lost its life through attempting to swallow a mouse which was too big for it, the skin of its neck being so distended as to burst in several places. The sting of the Viper, though venomous, is not nearly so fatal as is commonly supposed. The simplest remedy is suction, fomentation, and the application of oil. Vipers are sometimes caught by the sudden seizure of the hand, at the neck, whereupon the creature opens its mouth to bite its captor who cuts off its fangs with a pair of scissors.
The Viper and its Young.
”On August 4th, 1776,” says Gilbert White, ”we surprised a large viper, which seemed very heavy and bloated, as it lay in the gra.s.s basking in the sun. When we came to cut it up, we found that the abdomen was crowded with young, fifteen in number; the shortest of which measured full seven inches, and were about the size of full-grown earth-worms.
This little fry issued into the world with the true viper-spirit about them, showing great alertness as soon as disengaged from the belly of the dam; they twisted and wriggled about, and set themselves up, and gaped very wide when touched with a stick, showing manifest tokens of menace and defiance, though as yet they had no manner of fangs that we could find, even with the help of our gla.s.ses. To a thinking mind nothing is more wonderful than that early instinct which impresses young animals with a notion of the situation of their natural weapons, and of using them properly in their own defence, even before those weapons subsist or are formed. Thus a young c.o.c.k will spar at his adversary before his spurs are grown; and a calf or a lamb will push with their heads before their horns are sprouted.”
The Rattlesnake.
The Rattlesnake belongs to America, and many exaggerated stories are current concerning it. At certain seasons it is very fierce and its bite is at all times very dangerous, but in the ordinary way it will not attack anything but the animals it feeds upon, unless molested. It has been tamed and kept in cages, one in the possession of Mr. Pierce making friends with a toad which was introduced to its cage for the purposes of food, and allowing it to take many liberties.
The Sting of the Rattlesnake.
”After the death of this snake,” says Mr. Pierce, ”I examined his fangs; they were sharp like a sickle; a duct led from the reservoir of poison at the bottom of the tooth quite through its whole length, and terminated just by the point, which was exceedingly sharp. Thus, when the fang is darted out it makes the puncture, and simultaneously the poison flows through the duct, and is deposited in the very bottom of the wound. As this rarely fails to touch a blood-vessel, the venom is thus instantly issued into the system, and without delay, commences the march of death through every vein and artery.” Mr. Smith in the ”Philosophical Transactions” says:--”If a venomous serpent be made repeatedly to inflict wounds, without allowing sufficiently long intervals for it to recover its powers, each successive bite becomes less and less effective. A gentleman who had a rattlesnake in a cage, put a rat in with it; it immediately struck the rat, which died in two minutes. Another rat was then introduced, which ran as far as it could from the snake, with cries of distress. In half an hour, during which time the snake showed no hostility, on being irritated, it struck the rat, which died in twenty minutes. A third, and remarkably large rat, was then thrust into the cage, which showed no terror of the snake, and the snake took no notice of the rat; the gentleman, after watching them for the whole evening, went to bed, and when he inspected the cage the next morning, the snake was dead, and the muscular part of its back eaten by the rat.”
The rattle consists of a number of h.o.r.n.y joints which when shaken produce the sound by which it is known, and which gives notice of the proximity of the snake.
The Black Snake and the Rattlesnake.
”The black snake of Central America,” says Mr. Byam, ”is a deadly enemy to the rattlesnake; it is next in size to the boa, but much more agile; very vicious and ill-tempered, but not poisonous; it measures from nine to ten feet, and whenever they meet a pitched battle ensues, which, if tolerably equal in size, ends in favour of the black snake. It is not known whether they bite each other, but, at all events, the poison of the venomous serpent has no effect upon his adversary, although a rattlesnake bit itself one day, and died of the wound. A black and a rattlesnake were each descending opposite banks to drink at a stream a yard broad; the black fellow sprang over the stream, and they instantly joined in conflict. They twined together, and the black snake had evidently most muscular power, so that in half an hour the rattlesnake was dead, and the black snake swallowed him, gliding into the thicket, double the size he was when he came out of it.”