ZOOLOGICAL SOCILT1 lULLETlN 



■295 



fornicil lit" ihcM' l)ill>, iiiul ha\e naliirally (.'xcrU'd 

 every elTort Id ])revL'nt their passage. The bills 

 were regularly referred to the proper committees in 

 the various legislative bodies and the manufacturers 

 concentrated their princi])al elTorts on the members 

 of these committees, ^\'e do not know what argu- 

 ments or methods were used, but the work was done 

 so effectively that all the committees to whom these 

 bills were referred refused to rejiort them. When 

 the Societv learned what had been done, the com- 

 mittees were requested to report the bills even if 

 unfavorable in order that the measure might be 

 fought out on its merits in the various legislative 

 bodies. 



The manufacturers complain that we are at- 

 tacking a legitimate industry, in which they have 

 invested 850,000. The Society cannot consider this 

 a legitimate in\e>tment, and we shall continue to 

 use every legitimate means in our power to i)revenl 

 the further sale and distribution of this weapon. 



It is alleged that the reason the manufacturers are 

 so much interested in the gun is not only the sale of 

 the gun itself, but in the large amount of ammuni- 

 tion which it re(|uires. 



The New York Zoological Society, League of 

 American Sportsmen, Audubon societies, and na- 

 ture lovers outside of all these organizations will 

 continue the agitation against this gun. It is simply 

 a matter of thoroughly informing the people of the 

 I'nited States and through them bringing sufficient 

 pressure to bear upon their representatives in the 

 various legislatures and in Congress. The people 

 of the United States do not desire the bird life de- 

 stroyed; they stand for fair sport, and the argu- 

 ments which are prompted by purely commercial 

 motives and which have behind them solely pecu- 

 niary considerations have no weight with them. The 

 preservation of our birds and mammals is like the 

 preservation of the Yellowstone Park, the Falls of 

 Niagara, and of the forests of the East and West. 

 It is ])art of a contest between the interests of the 

 few who consider nothing but their own pecuniary 

 benetit, and the interests of the many who desire to 

 continue to enjoy and to have their children enjoy 

 thes? wonderful jiroducts of nature. 



THE LIZ.\R1> AND TORTOISE NARDS. 



AS explained on the editorial page of the current 

 number of the Bi'i.i.etix, some rejjtiles, es- 

 l)eci-.dly lizards, display little of their normal 

 habits if contined in indoor cages. Thus we have 

 made a great improvement in the Re[)tile Dejiart- 

 ment in constructing a series of large outside 

 yards for the lizards and tortoises. These yards 

 are situated at the east end of the Reptile House. 

 Each connects with an inside pen for use in cold 

 or stormv weather. Each vard is covered with 



several inche> of coarse sand and contains a large 

 concrete ba>in. 



The largest of the yards is about twenty-five feet 

 square and well ex[)osed to the sun. It has been 

 ])lante(l with cactus and bayonets, while in the cen- 

 tre a large dead cedar has been .set up, this gen- 

 erously furnished with horizontal branches. This 

 corral has been stocked with five species of iguanas: 

 the Hahaman Iguana, (Cycliira bulloplia); Turk's 

 Island Iguana, {Cydura airiitnla): Rhinoceros 

 Iguana, (Cydura cormeta); Sjjine-Tailed Iguana, 

 {Cteiioxaiira licmiloplia); Common Iguana, (7^- 

 iia)ia tubcrculdia), and the variet)' rliiiioloplia, of 

 the latter species. Besides these showy creatures 

 are Mastigures from the Sahara Desert, three 

 species of Monitor, and several large South Amer- 

 ican Tegus. 



Most of the lizards mentioned have for a year 

 or more been exhibited in the Reptile House. It 

 was estimated that a sheet-iron overhang on the 

 fence, which is a yard high, would keep the larger 

 lizards from jum])ing — but in the exhibiting of the 

 big iguanas out of doors, we have acquired consider- 

 able knowledge of habits. Eor the first week or 

 two the lizards ab.sorbed the undiluted sunshine, 

 showed sym]jtoms of appetites quite out of pro- 

 portion to their indoor feeding, and grew stronger. 

 Then they began evincing habits peculiar to them 

 in a wild condition. The Siiine-Tailed Iguanas 

 sur|)riscd us by running about on their hind legs, 

 and we find this practice to be common among 

 many lizards. Most astonishing, however, were 

 the leaping ] towers suddenly developed by the 

 liahaman and Rhinoceros Iguanas. These brute> 

 desired further freedom. They began hurdling the 

 fence, clearing the overhang without trouble. 

 Luckily, when they were once outside they made 

 no attemi)t to get away, but sprawled out for a 

 sun bath on the grass. Whether the iguanas con- 

 sidered such gymnastics as mere diversions is hard 

 to say, though certain it is we did not lose a single 

 specimen. We discussed plans of constructing a 

 higher overhang, a condition which would greatly 

 detract from the attractive appearance of the yards. 

 In the midst of such consultation, the lizards ceased 

 their annoying man<euvres of jumping the fence, 

 though they ran about the yard as lively as ever. 

 It is our hope that their awakened ap]>etites may 

 cause them to grow fat enough to refrain from 

 their former exhibitions, and pending a trial as to 

 their good behavior the fence is to stand as it is. 



In the series of yards are two that are ten feet 

 wide and fifteen feet deep. These are occupied 

 by miscellaneous sjjecies of the smaller tortoises. 

 In the larger yard on the other end of the series are 

 the Giant Tortoises from the Galapagos and the 

 Aldabra islands, as well as a number of fine tor- 

 toises brought from Abyssinia by the Sociey's rep- 

 re.sentative. R. L. D. 



