20 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.54. 



than the lizards themselves, ability to recognize those of the different 

 species will aid in tracing their distribution. An interesting charac- 

 teristic of the eggs of some forms is that when freshly laid the shells 

 are soft, viscid, and flexible. They then adhere to each other, or 

 to any foreign body which they happen to touch. They sometimes 

 bear the appearance of having been forced with considerable pressure 

 against some object the sides being greatly indented. On drying 

 the shells become firm and hard, the surface retaining any impression 

 that it may have received. The eggs of other species apparently 

 have hard shells when laid, as they are not attached to objects, nor 

 are their sides ever indented. Such eggs lie loose at the bottom of 

 cavities in which they have been deposited. The period of incuba- 

 tion was not definitely determined. It seems short, however, as 

 many eggs gathered July 6, some of which appeared to be quite 

 fresh, were all hatched by August 14. 



Doctor Stejneger's opinion that the Hzards migrated to the islands 

 with the ancestors of the Hawaiians is supported by observations of 

 the habits of the geckos at least. Wherever large canoes were seen 

 lying on the beach (a number of them were carefully examined), 

 geckos were found concealed among the mats covering them. Eggs 

 were found also in the canoes. It would be quite impossible at the 

 present time to provision and launch a large canoe without including 

 both adult geckos and their eggs. 



The native name for the skink is "Moo," meaning lizard; for the 

 gecko "Moo-kaula, " a seer or magician-hzard. Some of the natives 

 look upon the lizards with a degree of superstition, but they have 

 no fear of them. They may be seen in the native huts and likewise 

 in the best of houses. A number of them lived in the writer's state- 

 room for several months, finally arriving in San Francisco. They 

 regularly appeared in the evening, running about the room in search 

 of food. The climate here was apparently too cold, for they became 

 torpid and refused to eat. They may be regarded as beneficial 

 animals, as they destroy large numbers of insects. 



Family GEKKONIDAE. 



LEPIDODACTYLUS LUGUBKIS (Bibron). 



Many more specimens of this species were seen than of all the 

 others. Near Honolulu 102 examples of L. lugubris were noted in 

 about two hours, while only five of other species were seen. At 

 another time 144 specimens of L. lugubris were collected with only 

 one each of the other species. The collector's catch should not be 

 regarded as an index of the relative abundance of a species, and in this 

 particular case it appears that the gregarious habit of the form was 

 largely the cause of its being caught in such numbers. Geckos of a 

 more wary nature, and those which closely resemble the bark of 



