CoLENSO. — On a supposed new Species of Naultinus. 261 



growing fancy that they know me, for now they often come to the side of 

 the glass nearest to me when I am observing them, particularly the two 

 young ones, — this they did not at first. Indeed it is interesting to watch 

 them, when I have them in their glass cage on my writing-table, close to 

 me, when engaged in writing, to see them come to the side of the glass 

 nearest to me, and there paw the glass, or stand up quietly on their hind- 

 legs against it, evidently watching me closely with their pretty bright eyes, 

 sometimes turning their little heads just as I may move. Of course they 

 will not take a fly from my hands, for, let them be ever so hungry, as I 

 have said before, they must see the fly moving before they will touch it. 



I believe them to be endowed with great powers of abstinence ; I scarcely 

 ever saw the two adult females that died take a fly, and I am sure they 

 could not have had many during the months they were in confinement, yet 

 they did not fall off much in size ; so with those two young ones that died, — 

 one of them never ate at all from its birth, — yet, they continued to grow in 

 length, just as the other two young ones did which survived. The adult 

 male has rarely ever eaten much, sometimes (as far as I know, and I have 

 watched him closely) scarcely three flies in a week. On one occasion, 

 however, in the summer, I saw him eat four large red-brown flesh-flies 

 within ten minutes, as fast as I caught them singly and put them into the 

 cage ; this feat quite surprised me as I had never seen anything of the kind 

 before or since. The two young ones will each now eat half-a-dozen of the 

 common introduced house-flies in a day, but then, after doing so, they go 

 some 2-3 days without eating ; each of them certainly eats more than the 

 adult, although they are not one-fifth of his size. I generally feed them 

 twice in the week. Of the various kinds of flies I have given them, I think 

 they prefer a shining green-bodied one (which is scarce), also a small kind 

 of " blue-bottle." I do not suppose they live on flies when in their natural 

 habitat, rather on small Coleoptera. Their patience also, as I have ah-eady 

 intimated, seems very great ; speaking generally they like to remain in a 

 quiet attitude, especially the adult ; he, however, might also be widely 

 different if he had a mate. 



Cold-blooded as they are (and they do feel cold when handled), yet I 

 think they like the heat of the sun ; for when I place their glass cage in its 

 rays they never seek to evade them. The pupils of their eyes, which 

 normally are of a narrow lenticular shape, in strong sun-light contract to a 

 mere line, like those of a cat ; they dilate, however, when about to seize 

 their prey, also by candle-light, but not much, the pupil never becoming 

 full. Their eyes also appear fixed, so that I believe they cannot see any 

 small object (as a fly) when straight before them and pretty close to their 

 nose. I have not detected their possessing any sense of smell, and have 



