VARANUS 183 



surprisingly long time. Like the crocodile, Varanus has 

 favourite basking places on the rocks, choosing preferably 

 a place where ferns grow, on which it lies ; but curiously 

 enough if one is tethered in the sun it dies, apparently 

 from exposure, in an hour or so. 



Crocodiles are, as has been said, scarce among the 

 islands, but Varanus is very abundant, and must have 

 increased in number very greatly since the removal from 

 the islands of the natives, among whom skins of Enswa- 

 swa are in great request for making the long narrow 

 " Engabi " drums, which are beaten by the hand at con- 

 vivial gatherings or weddings. But though the Enswa- 

 swa are abundant enough, one does not often meet with 

 their nesting places ; the only three that I ever saw were 

 a sandy patch of open ground on the north side of Kimmi 

 Island, where burrows and fragments of old eggshells 

 were found, a regular warren in sandy soil on Busiri, 

 and a- similar place on the south end of Sindiro Isle. 

 Occasionally I saw very young Enswa-swa close to the 

 water sunning themselves on little branches like any 

 other lizard, but I do not think the adult climbs up trees ; 

 it appears to be an instance of the losing by an adult 

 of an ancestral habit retained in youth. A curious 

 inverted ratio was found to exist between the members 

 of crocodiles and Enswa-swa on any particular islet : during 

 the tour at the commencement of 1914 it- was noted that if 

 many Enswa-swa were seen there were very few crocodiles, 

 and vice versa. Thus, on Tavu Island, where more 

 crocodiles were seen than on any other island, Enswa- 

 swa were exceptionally scarce ; this was verified by many 

 visits and work on the island. On the other hand, when 

 Rumfua was visited, during the examination of its shores 

 from a canoe five Varanus but no crocodiles were seen. 

 It must be admitted, however, that Rumfua was only 

 visited once. Isentwa was noted to have abundant 

 Enswa-swa, but no crocodiles were seen there. Although 



