Lizards from Life 183 
daylight, the hatterias are essentially nocturnal in their habits. Even in the day- 
time, however, ‘“ Wrinkles” could generally be coaxed from his retreat by the 
deposit of a wriggling worm a little distance outside its entrance, more especially 
if “ Robin” was hovering in the vicinity with the chance of carrying off the prize. 
It was quite a revelation to find how useful a role as an extirpator of garden pests 
“Wrinkles” was qualified to fulfil. Huge field slugs several inches long constituted a 
favourite’ bonne bouche, while snails, caterpillars, beetles, and such-hke “small deer,” 
represented his more habitual hors d’euvres. Not only this species, but many other 
members of the lizard tribe will, in fact, render yeoman service in the garden and 
greenhouse in return for their hospitable entertainment. Like many another much 
cherished pet, poor “ Wrinkles” came to an untimely end, getting accidently crushed 
by the opening of a greenhouse door, behind which he had apparently been chasing 
some attractive quarry. The writer would be greatly indebted for the opportunity of 
cultivating the friendly acquaintanceship of a second “ Wrinkles.’ Perhaps a 
sympathismg New Zealander will assist him! 
Quite the most fascinating and exciting of the subjects investigated concerning the 
lizard menage was that of 
their peculiar methods of 
locomotion. The writer 
had brought home with 
him from Australia the 
singular Frilled lizard, and 
successfully demonstrated 
the reported but hitherto 
unproven bipedal locomo- 
tive faculties of that species. 
The evidence yielded by 
that form stimulated ex- 
perimental investigation 
relating to the possible 
possession of a like accom- 
plishment by other species. 
As a result various lizards, 
some belonging to the same 
family group as the frilled ~~ : a 
species, and others having “WRINKLES,” THE NEW ZEALANDER. 
entirely distinct relation- 
ships, were found to possess the same remarkable locomotive peculiarity. ‘‘ Robin,” 
the large red-breasted Australian water lizard, and his kinsfolk proved themselves 
to be especially agile on them hind lmbs, as also the small Australian tree-frequenting 
species. It was more especially interesting to find that the tropical American teguexins, 
large predaceous species somewhat resembling the Old World monitors, also possessed 
bipedal proclivities. From information recently communicated to the writer, it would 
appear likely that a large number of the American iguanas share the same habit. 
Although unrecognised by science, through specimens haying been kept in too confined 
quarters to exhibit this peculiarity, the bipedal habit of locomotion of the teguexin, 
or Diamond lizard, as it is locally called, was long since known to the natives of the 
districts it inhabits, and is a subject among others of rough rock carvings that have 
been executed by them—probably many centuries ago—on the banks of the Ormoco. ‘To 
obtain demonstrations of them possible bipedal proclivities and a photographic record of 
the phenomenon, the lizards experimented with by the writer were liberated upon a 
