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.
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