252 Transactions. — Zoology. 



lodgings, placing them under a circular glass dome, of 10 inches diameter, 

 with a few leafy twigs of koromiko (Veronica salicifolia), and giving them 

 water in an oblong flint-glass salt-cellar, which, from its form and thick- 

 ness, they could not upset. I knew they must be hungry, and I tried them 

 with several things in the way of food, as bits of meat, both raw and cooked, 

 of various fruits, of bread, of succulent roots and vegetables, and with small 

 larvffi (caterpillars), but nothing would they touch. At last, as the warm 

 weather came on, I tried them Avith a few flies, which were killed, or made 

 motionless, in catching, these, also, they wou]d not touch, or even look at. 

 At length I put some living flies into their crystal palace, and these they 

 soon caught and ate — that is the three adult lizards. For a long time I 

 sought in vain for very small tiny flies for the young ones, and when I did 

 succeed in getting a few, it was some time before the baby lizards 

 managed to catch and swallow any (although the httle things pursued them 

 with longing eyes !) as the fly, when caught, in struggling, would often 

 escape out of their iiuj mouths, which was the more easily effected through 

 the lizards not having any teeth to hold by, and the powers of the young 

 ones were but feeble through their long fasting. One day I happened to 

 give them three or four of the large red-broA\Ti viviparous flesh-fly (Mitsca 

 Imnica), thuiking the large lizards, at least, would now have a good meal, 

 and when I was not a little surprised to see them scuttle about in all direc- 

 tions, wholly turning away from these flies, and apparently endeavouring to 

 hide themselves (or their heads) among the koromiko leaves. For some 

 time I did not understand this new movement, and I subsequently noticed, 

 that while some of these red-brown flesh-flies were eaten (being gone), 

 others were left dead on the floor of their cage. 



Early in November I was sorry to observe that the young ones, although 

 all fom' had grown rapidly in length, were daily becoming more weak, 

 especially the two entirely green ones ; this, of course, was owing to their 

 not eating. On the 3id of November one of the young green ones died. 

 At this time, too, the head of one of the adult lizards (as I believe, the 

 female one) swelled much, changed to a livid colour, and grew to an un- 

 shapely size, with a bloody discharge distilling from its ears. I thought, 

 that something being the matter with its head, the other lizards in their 

 scrambling about over each other (which they commonly do) had fixed their 

 sharp claws in its ears, being now tender, and so caused them to bleed, &c. 

 The sick lizard, however, was very patient under it ; and as its disorder 

 increased, the skin of its head became more and more stretched with the 

 swelling, and great and irregular throbbings or undulations were very 

 apparent. (Here I should mention, that the regular pulsation in their 

 throats is always prominently seen). And so, as this diseased Uzard became 



