Page:The History of the Island of Dominica.djvu/68

 The guana is haped like a crocodile. Its head, body, feet, and tail, reembling thoe of that animal. It is of a green colour, but can change it at pleaure to a light ah colour, as it always does when alarmed. It has gills like a cock, but of a pale colour, and a horny ubtance, like the comb of that bird, reaching from its noe to the neck. It has trong harp teeth, haped like a lancet, with which it bites everely; its tail is alo armed with trong, blunt points, with which it wounds the legs of thoe who take it, if they are not careful, as it lahes trongly with its tail, which is very upple, and nearly twice as long as the other part of its body.

This animal is commonly between two and three feet long, from the tip of the noe to the end of the tail; and when of that length, about four or five inches thick, epecially the females, about the belly, when breeding; at which time they are full of eggs. The