THE TUATARA 383 



Dr. Dendy's inquiries show that their eggs are laid in holes, 

 which they specially dig for the purpose. The eggs are white 

 and soft, with a semi-calcareous shell, and are about one inch 

 long. From eight to ten are laid at a time. They are laid in 

 November, and do not hatch until about midsummer in the 

 following year. Development goes on in the egg during the 

 summer, but in ^INIarch it almost ceases, and is resumed in the 

 spring. The earlier stages of development resemble those of the 

 tortoise, and it is only later that its more lizard-like characters 

 appear. On the snout there is a sharp-pointed shell-cutter; and 

 the body is marked with longitudinal and transverse bands of 

 grey and white, a pattern completely lost in the adult animal, 

 which is spotted. 



In captivity, they will eat live worms or thin shreds of raw 

 beef, if these foods are hung up in the cage, and are very fond of 

 live snails. They live for a long time without any food. A 

 paragraph published in the Lyttelton Times, in 1903, stated that 

 "the tuatara lizards at the Opawa fisheries seem to be susceptible 

 to music. They will come out of their holes in the rocks to hear 

 a song, when nothing else will induce them to appear. They 

 prefer a good rousing chorus rather than a solo. Some time ago, 

 a number of visitors to the hatcheries wanted to see the tuataras, 

 which, however, refused to come forth, until a little girl sang 

 'Soldiers of the Queen,' and othei^s joined in the chorus. The 

 sound seems to have appealed to the reptiles, and they responded 

 by showing themselves to the singers. ' ' 



It is stated that tuataras are by no means as stupid as they 

 seem to be. In some instances they display a rather surprising- 

 amount of intelligence. They recognise people readily, and are 

 sensitive to the presence of strangers. They have to be handled 

 carefully, as they can give a nasty bite when in a bad temper. 

 In Auckland, a gentleman had his thumb bitten hy a female 

 tuatara he was lifting up to show to a friend. He caught the 

 reptile by the body, and with a cpiick movement of her head she 

 nipped a piece oif his thumb. 



