6 ARTHUR DENDY. 



On December 11th, 1897, Mr. Henaghan wrote me : 



" I was out to-day searching for eggs, and I discovered two 

 nests. One of them was probably laid late in the last season, 

 as I noticed the embryos were fully developed. This I dis- 

 covered through one of the eggs getting broken, and the other 

 three 1 have sent you. You will observe that the advanced 

 ones are much larger than the new ones, — in fact, double the 

 size.^ 



'^ There were a lot more eggs in the same nest, but they 

 were shrivelled up and consequently no use. I think it takes 

 them several months to develop to maturity. All the eggs 

 we found this season, with the above exception, were in the 

 earlier stages of development. I notice a good many of the eggs 

 are shrivelled up, owing to the dry state of the ground. We 

 are having a long spell of drought just now, and I am afraid if 

 it continues much longer a lot of the eggs will perish. It is 

 only fair to give the lizard credit for a large amount of saga- 

 city in the way she selects places for depositing her eggs, for 

 it must be observed that there are plenty of enemies to 

 contend with ; as I have before mentioned, the birds are very 

 numerous, and continually scratching out holes. The lizard, 

 as a rule, shares the same hole with the bird, but never lays 

 her eggs there, so that when searching for lizards^ eggs one 

 has to select a place with a sunny aspect and free from birds' 

 holes. '^ 



In reply to questions as to the holes in which the eggs are 

 laid, I was informed as follows : — " First, the holes are small 

 cavities made chiefly in the surface soil ; the entrance is about 

 one and a half or two inches vertical height, and about three 

 inches horizontal width. The chamber is continued at about 

 these dimensions for five or six inches into the ground on a 

 level surface, when it is then slightly increased to receive the 

 eggs. The eggs are packed close together in layers of two or 

 three, and owing to expansion in developing,^ it is with dif- 



1 It is doubtful if tlie size of tlie egg has anything io do with the state of 

 development of the embryo. This question is diseussed subsequently. 

 ^ See previous note. 



