HAE-DWICKE'S SCIENC E-GO SSIP. 



227 



expanded), but iu a very short time the beautiful 

 blue colour became a dull dirty Indian red, and all 

 the tentaculse an indescribable amorphous mass. 

 Another very beautiful creature (microscopic) 

 obtained in a dredging from Cascaes Bay, I was 

 desirous of mounting, and intended doing so by 

 allowing it to dry on the slip, and theu balsam and 

 cover it ; but as there was a little dirt about it, and 

 also being afraid of the crystals that would form 

 when the sea-water evaporated, I added just a drop 

 or two of pure filtered fresh water from a very fine 

 and clean pipette, when, lo and behold ! my "beauty" 

 became instantly an unrecognizable mass. My next 

 experiment will be to balsam the object right off' 

 clean or not clean, crystals or no crystals ; and the 

 next, to try a saturated solution of chloride of 

 sodium. I have also often been disappointed in my 

 attempts to preserve the beautiful Phymlia, but 

 I have hitherto found a weak solution of bichloride 

 of mercury about the best thing. But if pure water 

 alone materially changes the appearance of the 

 delicate creatures, I am very much afraid that any 

 media that will set up an irritating action will have 

 ths same effect: so here I must throw myself upon 

 the scientific knowledge and kindness of your 

 numerous readers and " Gossipers," and thus ask 

 thgm for suggestions and hints as to a suitable 

 preservative medium; though at the same time 1 feel 

 more inclined to call in the aid of photography to 

 my assistance, and with my small 4x4 microphoto- 

 graphic camera to " take their portraits right off." 

 But here again I havemy difficulties; for what would 

 the motion of the ship, and more especially the 

 vibration of the engines and the screw propeller, 

 say to this photographic arrangement ? I am much 

 afraid that I should not get a " correct likeness." 



And now to conclude my gossip, I must say that 

 I shall look forward upon my return home for a few 

 hints from some of the correspondents, as to a 

 suitable preservative fluid, and I have no doubt that 

 Major Holland, who has in some of the numbers of 

 this journal so very ably described the contents of 

 the towing-net and trawl, will be able to give me 

 a hint or two. 



Liverjjool. John A. Perry. 



A PAPER ON LIZAEDS. 



ON the 16th of May last, I bought in the Forest 

 of Fontainebleau, a green lizard, and my 

 friend J. C. another. They were very lively 

 little creatures, and soon appeared to make them- 

 selves quite happy. I was in some difficulty as to 

 the best means of bringing them home, but we 

 finally bought a travelling birdcage, into which the 

 little pets were put. I could not feed them, as I 

 was not able to get them any flies, which the man 

 we bought them of told us were their favourite 



food. As soon as they reached home, however, we 

 gave them some, but noticed that they would not 

 touch them if dead. We keep them in the green- 

 house on account of the warmth, under a large bell- 

 glass with a great piece broken out. They have a 

 clump of grass and a stone to creep under, and 

 seem quite at home. 



I soon discovered tbat they ate spiders, and we 

 gave them all we could find. The larger lizard, 

 and the one that has the best and brightest green 

 colour, is the more greedy, and usually gets the 

 larger share. On seeing the insect, the lizard 

 draws back its head like a snake, but does not 

 attempt to touch it until it moves, when it 

 immediately darts forward, and generally seizes 

 tlie insect by its body, leaving the head protruding ; 

 the body is then apparently sucked in until it is 

 swallowed at last with a great gulp. Tiie operation 

 is concluded by the lizard licking its lips like a dog 

 after a savoury morsel, and looking as if he would 

 like another. We tried them with various insects, 

 and found that they will eat wood-lice, cockchafers, 

 and black beetles ; taking off the wing-cases of the 

 two latter with great neatness. They will also eat 

 the small green caterpillar that is found on goose- 

 berry-bushes and rose-trees, but decline any other 

 kind, just licking them once and then refusing to 

 touch them again. (I noticed that the caterpillar 

 seemed quite insensible for some time after the lick- 

 ing.) We now generally feed them with black 

 beetles, giving them a spider or two as a treat now 

 I and then. One day they ate twelve beetles each, but 

 they seldom get so many. I believe they will live for 

 a long time without foud, but I do not think we shall 

 ever put them to the test. One of them laid two 

 eggs on the 21st of June, about the size of a 

 canary's egg, but not smooth, more like parchment ; 

 these were put on a tile with sand and placed near 

 the glass of the greenhouse, trusting that they 

 would hatch; but unfortunately they were wetted in 

 watering tbe plants, and in a short time shrivelled 

 up. So I fear we must'give up all hopes of young 

 ones this year. 



The lizards are of different colours, one (the 

 larger) being, as I said before, a bright emerald- 

 green, the head having a blue shade, and the 

 under side is el brilliant yellow. The other lizard 

 is an olive-green, with yellow underneath. They 

 measure twelve inches from the tip of the tail to 

 the nose, tlieir bodies being four inches long. They 

 have no teeth and are quite harmless ; one of them, 

 if much disturbed, tries to bite, but can only give a 

 small pinch. 



A few days ago the smaller one hid itself complete ly 

 under the grass in order to change its skin. I saw 

 two large pieces lying on the sand, and have kept 

 one. It has not any colour, and looks more like a 

 stiffened piece of tissue-paper wiih a pattern on it 

 than anything else I can think of. 



