TJie Lizards vidigenons to Victoria. 71 



bag it was found she had given birth to four young ones. These 

 with the parent were placed in a box containing some earth and 

 fiat stones, and covered partly with glass and partly with wire 

 gauze. After a few days tlie young ones began to take food ; 

 they would readily seize anything moving, in the shape of a small 

 grub or caterpillar, but were alarmed at the fluttering of a large 

 moth. When the parent had made a capture the young ones 

 would timidly approach and make a grab at whatever she held in 

 her mouth, but she always seemed disinclined to surrender any 

 portion of it. She showed no anxiety when the young ones were 

 separated from her. Sometimes when trying to capture a 

 fluttering moth, if one of the young ones appeared in front of 

 her she would seize it, but having discovered her mistake, after a 

 few seconds she would drop it unhurt. 



What appears to be a remarkable exhibition of intelligence on 

 the part of this lizard occured about this time. A large moth 

 was placed in the cage and was immediately set upon by the 

 lizard which it managed to elude for some time. At length the 

 lizard seized it by the end of the abdomen. The wings being free 

 it continued to flutter in spite of the efforts of the lizard to crush 

 the life out of it by pushing it against the stones ; at last she 

 carried it to the end of the cage where there was a dish of water 

 into this she plunged the moth and held it there for about twenty 

 seconds ; this completely damped the ardour as well as the wings 

 of the moth, and for a time the fluttering ceased. She then 

 carried it to the top of one of the stones, when the young ones, 

 who had disappeared beneath during the struggle, emerged from 

 their hiding places and timidly approached ; presently one of 

 them made a snap at the moth's leg and pulled it off", causing 

 another flutter. The same method of crushing it against the 

 stones and sides of the cage was again tried but without success. 

 Failing in this she carried it to the water a second time, and held 

 it under for about half-a-minute, after which she swallowed it, 

 pushing the wings off in the operation. 



Distribution. — Victoria : St. Kilda, Suubury, Keilor, Upper 

 Yarra, Yarragon, Toora, Gunbower (Melb. Mus.) ; distributed 

 all over the Colony (L. and R). 



Range outside Victoria. — Kangaroo Island, Rockhampton, 

 Queensland. 



