494 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST, SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIII. 
can the flaming head be claimed as a lure or charm? On the contrary past 
experience must make this a warning colour to the female, and obviously does, 
because she flees precipitately before it. The modern naturalist of the 
“* warning colour school ” having read this will assuredly sit at home, and concoct 
a wonderful story as another proof of his pet theory. 
Many modern naturalists—Cabinet naturalists chiefly—remind me of the Greek 
philosophers who were regarded as omniscient. One of these—Socrates I think 
it was—explained honey dew as “the sweat of the heavens, the saliva of the stars, 
or a liquid formed by the purgation of the air”! It is difficult to imagine that 
the credulity of the people contemporary with him was such that it could be 
imposed upon by such an oration. One would suppose that even a person of 
dull perceptions would ask why the heavens only sweated beneath trees, or why 
the stars salivated so copiously in the day time or again what agent caused the 
purgation of the air, Any moderately endowed observer of the times would, if 
he had examined the trees, have discovered the real cause—the aphis. It does 
not need a microscope to reveal its presence, but is easily seen by the naked eye. 
The philosopher you will notice was wily enough to add two alternatives, in case 
the first did not carry conviction. It appearsto me many modern naturalists 
are as ingenious and cryptic as the said Socrates, and they are contemporaneous 
with a public just as gullible and capable of swallowing a camel as a gnat, as 
the public of his day. 
Salea horsfieldiimHorsfield’s Lizard. 
This is a very common species below the altitude of Coonoor. Under excite- 
ment the male is an extremely beantiful object, being of an intensely brilliant 
verdant green dorsaily, merging to yellow on the head. The gular pouch is a 
brilliant yellow, and the belly pearly-white. 
Gonatodes jerdoni.—Jerdon’s Gecko. 
This dusky little gecko may be more abundant than it appears. I only saw 
three, and allin the same spot. I noticed one day a movement on a mossy wall 
behind the notice board opposite the Post Office at Coonoor. A cautious 
approach and careful inspection revealed a gecko quite new to me. A smart 
stroke and “father” was beneath my hand. A further scrutiny and I noticed 
another. “‘ Father” having been transferred to my left, I made another quick 
stroke with my right hand and “‘ mummy” was struggling beneath. Further 
search disclosed the pride of the parents. “ Mummy” joined “ father ” in my 
left, another stroke and I had the whole family. 
At this juncture I found myself the centre of a gaping crowd, numbering two 
policemen—evidently thinking I had evil designs on the notice board—half a 
dozen rickshaw coolies, as well as ayahs and babies, and, as luck would have it, 
a lady acquaintance passing by extended her hand which I was unable to grasp, 
‘having none to offer, both being engaged by my struggling captives. 
These are very trying moments in a naturalist’s life ! 
BATRACHIA. 
Genus IXxALus. 
Izalus variabilis —The Common Castanet Frog. 
Even the most uninterested and unobservant visitor to the Nilgiri Hills cannot 
fai! to notice and remark upon the multitudes of clap-like sounds that emanate 
‘from every bush during the rains. Most visitors no doubt not only remark upon 
them but wonder what sort of creature produces them. 
Having some knowledge of Batrachians I expected to find they were produced 
by frogs, and I set to work to discover the species concerned. I found this by 
no means the easy task I had expected, although the sounds reached me from 
‘far and near on every side. As soon as I directed my attention to one individual 
