Then the sport changed to shooting iguanas, a species of lizard five or six feet long, that lives among the rocks near the shore of the lake. Several of these were killed; but, as there was no need of skill, our friends were soon satisfied, and concluded not to slaughter any more. When the bats and iguanas that had been shot were piled together at the landing-place, one of the boys very naturally asked, "What will we do with them?" "As to that," said their host, "it is a question easily answered; we'll give them to our native boatmen, who will be very glad to have such a present. The flesh of both bat and iguana is delicate, but Europeans have a prejudice against it, and so we do not put it on our tables as a regular article of food. If you would like to try it we will have some prepared for dinner, and if you can lay aside prejudice, I am sure you will find it excellent." The boys concluded they would not venture on an experiment, although they frankly acknowledged that nothing but prejudice kept them from doing so. "The bat," said Fred, "is what we may call a clean feeder, and so is the iguana, if what I have read of their habits is correct; but prejudice is against them, and we will let them alone." "Yes," responded Frank, continuing on the topic, "none of us have any prejudice against pork, yet the hog is the farthest possible from being a model of neatness in his habits. We would not eat dog or cat, but there is no more dainty animal in the world than a well-reared terrier or house-tabby." [Illustration: PAUL P. DE LA GIRONIERE.] "On this point," said their host, "I can tell you a good story. Mr. La Gironiere, who formerly owned Jala-jala, used to bring his guests over here for the same sport you have been enjoying. One day he had in his party a couple of Americans, and on the way back one of them said they would like to try the flesh of the bat and the iguana. Thinking they were in earnest, the host told his cook to make a curry of iguana, and a ragout, or stew, of bat, and serve them for dinner. The cook did as he was ordered, and the first dish on the table was the curry. Everybody ate heartily, and pronounced the curry excellent; and then the host ventured to remark, 'You see the flesh of the iguana is very delicate.' "This was enough. Every plate was pushed aside, including that of the American who had made the proposal, and not a mouthful more of curry could any one eat. Some even fled from the table, and could not be prevailed on to return until the strange dish had been removed, and the order for the bat stew was countermanded. You see what prejudice is; they all thought the curry delicious till they knew what it was made of, and probably they would have said the same of the ragout."