182 Animal Life 
cheek by jowl in the morning 
sun. Certain species, how- 
ever, having eminently 
aggressive qualities it was 
found necessary to exclude 
from this select family circle. 
The Old World Monitors, 
the American Teguexins or 
Tejus, and. the beautifully 
variegated Huropean  ocel- 
: lated lizards are not safe 
“ROBIN,” THE AUSTRALIAN WATER LIZARD. companions of species in- 
ferior to themselves in size 
and strength, and if kept should be provided with separate apartments. 
The sleeping idiosyncrasies of the various species under observation were varied in a 
marked manner. The chameleons, natural tree-dwellers, habitually clung to the branches, 
the tail sometimes assisting prehension, but more often being spirally coiled upon itself 
like the proboscis of a butterfly. Other forms that chiefly frequented the ground 
during the day would also resort to trees at night, the quaimt Jew or Bearded lizard of 
Australia was one of these. Young examples would ascend as high as their weight would 
allow towards the apex of a slender sapling, and there cling tenaciously with interlocked 
claws until the morning. An altogether sociable night-camping party was commonly 
composed of two beautiful green long-tailed Fijian iguanas, one or more of the Australian 
Water lizards, with an occasional chameleon or larger Jew lizard, all of which would 
spread themselves close together in the happiest abandon along the horizontal branches 
among which the Fijian varieties were accustomed to spend the greater portion of the 
day. The clumsy, unwieldy stump-tails and blue-tongues would retreat within the 
hollow recesses of the virgin cork, while another more slender spine-tailed skink would 
habitually creep for his night shelter into the centre draw of the writer's desk, to 
which it gained access by scaling some specimen boxes that lay beside it. One 
member of this colony, a New Zealand Hatteria, having nearer relations with the 
fossil reptiles than existing lizard species, chose for its harbour of refuge and habitual 
abiding place the space underneath one of the pedestals of its owner’s writing table, 
which, the better to suit its pronounced proclivities, was boarded round with the 
exception of a hole for exit. This individual, while at all times most amiable to 
its human friends, was distinctly jealous of certain of its companions in captivity. A 
Red-breasted Water lizard, appropriately christened “ Robin,’ seemed more especially to 
excite its ire in the vain pursuit of which the hatteria would rush out from its 
lar with angry gruntings wheneyer that lizard chanced to trespass too closely upon 
his preserves. “ Wrinkles,” the New “ealander, so called on account of his beautifully 
wrinkled skin, was somewhat of a hermit. Except for an occasional bask in the 
morning sun, he usually 
kept very closely in his den 
all day, but towards evening 
wandered about the room or 
enjoyed his bath in a most 
lively manner. As shown 
by their large lustrous eyes, 
the pupils of which, like 
those of a cat, are reduced SESE y: 
to a mere slit in bright AUSTRALIAN JEW OR BEARDED LIZARDS. 
———— 
