NATURAL HISTORY. Sl 
It isa great pest, frequently visiting the ranches of the natives, eat- 
ing the eges of fowls and young chickens, and robbing birds’ nests. 
It is a common thing on walking through the woods of ‘the island to 
hear an outery among the birds and to discover one of these creatures 
in the vicinity of a nest which he has just robbed. Several pigeons 
helonging to the author were caught and killed by hilitais, their 
wings having been clipped to prevent their flying away from a ranch 
to which they had been carried. These lizards are eaten by Filipinos 
living in Guam, but the natives look upon them with disgust. 
All houses of Guam are frequented by small lizards called 
‘yeckos.” They are harmless creatures and are welcomed by the 
natives on account of their habit of catching insects. Their toes are 
so constructed as to enable them to run upside-down on the ceiling 
and rafters with e¢reat rapidity. At night they may be seen quite 
motionless lying in wait for moths and other insects which may he 
attracted into the houses by the light. Three or four often pursue 
the same insect, approaching it stealthily like cats after their prey. 
From time to time they utter a chattering noise, which has won for 
them the name of *tisland canary birds.” 
In the woods is a pretty blue-tailed skink (Avoca eyanura Lesson), 
a small lizard with a tail the color of turquoise and with longitudinal 
bronze lines along the back. The only snake on the island is 7yph/ops 
hraminus (Daudin), a small species, with microscopic eyes and mouth 
and covered with minute scales. It is sometimes called ** blind-worm,’ 
from its general resemblance toa large earthworm, and is found in 
damp places, under stones and logs. Turtles are common in the sea, 
but are seldom taken. 
FISHES.“ 
GENERAL NOTES. 
The fishes of Guam have been collected by Quoy and Gaimard and 
Mr. Alvin Seale, of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum of Hawaii.’ 
Although the natives do not devote themselves to fishing so exten- 
sively now as was formerly the case, yet many of them have cast nets 
with which they catch small fish swimming in schools near the beach, 
und a few have traps and seines. The ancient custom of trawling for 
honitos and flying fish has nearly died out, but the natives still resort 
occasionally to the method pursued by their ancestors of stupefying 
fish with the crushed fruit of Barri. stonia speciosa, a narcotic widely 
“Tam indebted to Dr. Barton W. Evermann, of the U.S. Fish Commission, for 
revising the scientific names of the fishes and for reading the proof of the following 
list. 
bSee director’s report for 1900, Honolulu, Hawaii, Bishop Museum Press, 1401, 
p. 61. 
9773—05—_6 
