One feature with which a stranger cannot fail to be struck on his
arrival in the island, and which is essentially tropical, is the
abundance of the lizards that everywhere meet his eye. As soon as ever
he sets foot on the beach, the rustlings among the dry leaves, and the
dartings hither and thither among the spiny bushes that fringe the
shore, arrest his attention; and he sees on every hand the beautifully
coloured and meek-faced ground-lizard (_Ameiva dorsalis_), scratching
like a bird among the sand, or peering at him from beneath the shadow
of a great leaf, or creeping stealthily along with its chin and belly
upon the earth, or shooting over the turf with such a rapidity that it
seems to fly rather than run. By the road-sides, and in the open
pastures, and in the provision-grounds of the negroes, still he sees
this elegant and agile lizard; and his prejudices against the reptile
races must be inveterate indeed if he can behold its gentle
countenance, and timid but bright eyes, its chaste but beautiful hues,
its graceful form and action, and its bird-like motions, with any
other feeling than admiration.
As he walks along the roads and lanes that divide the properties, he
will perceive at every turn the smooth and trim little figure of the
wood-slaves (_Mabouya agilis_) basking on the loose stones of the dry
walls; their glossy, fish-like scales glistening in the sun with
metallic brilliancy. They lie as still as if asleep; but on the
intruder's approach, they are ready in a moment to dart into the
crevices of the stones and disappear until the danger is past.
If he looks into the outbuildings of the estates, the mill-house, or
the boiling-house, or the cattle-sheds, a singular croaking sound
above his head causes him to look up; and then he sees clinging to the
rafters, or crawling sluggishly along with the back downward, three or
four lizards, of form, colour, and action very diverse from those he
has seen before. It is the _gecko_ or croaking lizard (_Thecodactylus
loevis_), a nocturnal animal in its chief activity, but always to be
seen in these places or in hollow trees even by day. Its appearance is
repulsive, I allow, but its reputation for venom is libellous and
groundless.
The stranger walks into the dwelling-house: lizards, lizards, still
meet his eye. The little anoles (_A. iodurus, A. opalinus_, &c.) are
chasing each other in and out between the jalousies, now stopping to
protrude from the throat a broad disk of brilliant colour, crimson or
orange, like the petal of a flower, then withdrawing it, and again
displaying it in coquettish play. Then one leaps a yard or two through
the air, and alights on the back of his playfellow; and both struggle
and twist about in unimaginable contortions. Another is running up and
down on the plastered wall, catching the ants as they roam in black
lines over its whited surface; and another leaps from the top of some
piece of furniture upon the back of the visitor's chair, and scampers
nimbly along the collar of his coat. It jumps on the table--can it be
the same? An instant ago it was of the most beautiful golden green,
except the base of the tail, which was of a soft, light, purple hue;
now, as if changed by an enchanter's wand, it is of a sordid, sooty
brown all over, and becomes momentarily darker and darker, or mottled
with dark and pale patches of a most unpleasing aspect. Presently,
however, the mental emotion, what, ever it was--anger, or fear, or
dislike--has passed away, and the lovely green hue sparkles in the
glancing sunlight as before.
He lifts the window-sash; and instantly there run out on the sill two
or three minute lizards of a new kind, allied to the gecko, the common
palette-tip (_Sphoeriodactylus argus_.) It is scarcely more than two
inches long, more nimble than fleet in its movement, and not very
attractive.
In the woods he would meet with other kinds. On the trunks of the
trees he might frequently see the Venus (_Dactyloa Edwardsii_), as it
is provincially called; a lizard much like the anoles of the houses,
of a rich grass-green colour, with orange throat-disk, but much larger
and fiercer; or, in the eastern parts of the island, the great iguana
(_Cyclura lophoma_), with it dorsal crest like the teeth of a saw
running down all its back, might be seen lying out on the branches of
the trees, or playing bo-peep from a hole in the trunk; or, in the
swamps and morasses of Westmoreland, the yellow galliwasp (_Celestus
occiduus_), so much dreaded and abhorred, yet without reason, might be
observed sitting idly in the mouth of its burrow, or feeding on the
wild fruits and marshy plants that constitute its food.--_Gosse's
Naturalist's Sojourn_.