The Western World: Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North; and South AmericaKingston, William Henry Giles
History
The Western World: Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North; and South America
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Natural history -- North America; Natural history -- South America
It belongs to the family of tortoises, popularly called soft turtles.
Its flattened head is rather oval, with horny jaws, and hanging fleshy
lips, the mouth lengthened into a cylindrical snout. It has an
extremely long neck, which it can contract at will; short, wide feet;
and toes connected by strong webs. It is the most savage and formidable
of its tribe; being terribly destructive, not only among fish, but
smaller quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles, which it can capture. For this
object it lies in wait till they come down to drink, or till some
water-fowl flies too close to its haunt. It is said even to capture and
eat young alligators.
Though devouring so many other creatures, the snapping turtle is often
eaten himself; being hooked and drawn on shore by the fishermen. It
fights, on such occasions, and struggles ferociously, darting its head
here and there, endeavouring to seize the hands of its captors with its
formidable jaws.
It possesses extraordinary tenacity of life; and even after the head is
cut off, the body, it is asserted, will crawl for a short way over the
ground.
LIZARDS:--THE SIX-LINED TARAGUINA.
We shall find several lizards in various parts of America--the greater
number in the Southern States. The first we meet with is the six-lined
taraguina, belonging to the family of teguexins, which are remarkable
for the many-sided shields which cover their heads, and the double
collar on the throat. This little creature is much smaller than the
rest of its family--being only about eleven inches in length--of a
darkish green or brown colour, with six narrow yellow streaks along its
body, one of which on each side reaches from the eye to the middle of
the tail. The lower part is of a silvery white hue, with a bluish tinge
in some parts.
It is an excessively lively, active animal, living in dry and sandy
places, where it may be found searching for insects. As it is very
timid, it takes to flight at the slightest sound, and is not easily
caught.
THE GLASS SNAKE.
As the spring comes on, and the warm sun bursts forth, a formidable
snake-like creature, nearly three feet in length, is often seen
frequenting the plantations of the sweet potato, or coiled up beneath
the roots of an old tree; its keen eye watching for any small reptile or
insect which may be passing. The head is small in proportion to the
body, and of a pyramidal form--mottled at the sides with black and
green, the jaws edged with yellow. Its abdomen is bright yellow; and
the upper part of the ear is marked with numerous lines of black, green,
and yellow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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