﻿850 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Zoology, 
  

  

  refusing 
  the 
  ordinary 
  fare 
  of 
  fresh 
  meat, 
  from 
  December 
  to 
  February 
  they 
  

   were 
  on 
  very 
  short 
  commons 
  indeed, 
  and 
  practically 
  ate 
  nothing. 
  In 
  

   March 
  a 
  new 
  feature 
  of 
  character 
  came 
  to 
  light, 
  and 
  one 
  likely 
  to 
  affect 
  

   most 
  favourably 
  their 
  future 
  prison 
  life. 
  My 
  son, 
  Percy, 
  having 
  brought 
  

   home 
  one 
  day 
  a 
  basket-full 
  of 
  sea-minnows, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  feeding 
  a 
  

   tame 
  skua, 
  out 
  of 
  mere 
  curiosity 
  I 
  offered 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  tuataras 
  ; 
  it 
  

   was 
  instantly 
  pounced 
  upon 
  by 
  the 
  nearest 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  

   afterwards 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  lizards 
  was 
  crunching 
  and 
  swallowing 
  a 
  fish 
  three 
  or 
  

   four 
  inches 
  long 
  with 
  evident 
  relish. 
  Some 
  more 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  cage 
  

   and 
  were 
  eagerly 
  devoured. 
  Seeing 
  how 
  very 
  difficult 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  induce 
  the 
  

   tuataras 
  to 
  take 
  other 
  than 
  their 
  natural 
  food, 
  it 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  manifest 
  

   that 
  fish-eating 
  is 
  nothing 
  new 
  to 
  them. 
  Their 
  evident 
  fondness 
  for 
  water, 
  

   basking 
  as 
  they 
  do 
  in 
  the 
  tin 
  reservoir 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  and 
  

   often 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  submerged, 
  raises 
  the 
  question 
  whether 
  they 
  are 
  not, 
  in 
  

   point 
  of 
  fact, 
  amphibious 
  animals, 
  subsisting 
  in 
  their 
  wild 
  state, 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent 
  at 
  least, 
  on 
  fish 
  and 
  other 
  marine 
  life. 
  I 
  have 
  experimented 
  by 
  

   filling 
  their 
  trough 
  with 
  sea 
  water, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  taken 
  to 
  it 
  just 
  as 
  readily 
  

   as 
  when 
  the 
  bath 
  was 
  of 
  fresh 
  water. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  had 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  

   trying 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  larger 
  vessel, 
  containing 
  live 
  fish. 
  But 
  feeding 
  our 
  

   tuataras 
  plentifully 
  with 
  small 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  described, 
  we 
  have 
  

   succeeded 
  in 
  advancing 
  then- 
  education 
  another 
  step, 
  for 
  they 
  will 
  now 
  

   partake 
  freely 
  of 
  fresh 
  meat, 
  in 
  almost 
  any 
  quantity, 
  if 
  minced 
  up 
  and 
  

   offered 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  fork 
  or 
  pointed 
  stick. 
  It 
  is 
  amusing 
  to 
  watch 
  this 
  

   operation. 
  The 
  lizards 
  climb 
  up 
  the 
  inclined 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  cage, 
  and 
  then 
  

   clinging 
  to 
  a 
  projecting 
  stone 
  they 
  elevate 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  watch 
  in 
  a 
  stupid 
  

   way 
  till 
  the 
  food 
  is 
  offered, 
  when 
  they 
  deliberately 
  snatch 
  it 
  away, 
  and 
  then 
  

   proceed 
  very 
  slowly 
  to 
  crunch 
  it 
  between 
  their 
  jaws 
  before 
  swallowing. 
  

   While 
  thus 
  feeding 
  they 
  remind 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  tame 
  bear 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  his 
  pole. 
  

   When 
  a 
  live 
  fly 
  or 
  locust 
  is 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  cage, 
  the 
  tuatara 
  approaches 
  it 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  cautious 
  way, 
  then 
  turns 
  his 
  head 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  bring 
  his 
  vision 
  in 
  a 
  

   line 
  with 
  the 
  object, 
  which 
  he 
  eyes 
  intently 
  for 
  a 
  moment, 
  and 
  then 
  seizes 
  

   with 
  a 
  rapid 
  movement, 
  the 
  tongue 
  being 
  protruded. 
  

  

  Having 
  kept 
  and 
  closely 
  watched 
  both 
  species 
  of 
  tuatara, 
  I 
  am 
  satisfied 
  

   that 
  they 
  not 
  only 
  differ 
  in 
  their 
  superficial 
  characters 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  habits 
  

   and 
  disposition. 
  The 
  Museum 
  examples, 
  all 
  of 
  which, 
  except 
  the 
  two 
  

   received 
  from 
  me, 
  belong 
  to 
  Sphenodon 
  guntheri, 
  feed 
  readily 
  on 
  fresh 
  meat, 
  

   soaked 
  bread, 
  and 
  indeed 
  almost 
  anything 
  edible 
  that 
  is 
  offered 
  to 
  them, 
  

   and 
  they 
  have 
  done 
  so 
  from 
  the 
  first. 
  TiU 
  very 
  recently 
  aU 
  my 
  specimens 
  

   of 
  S. 
  punctatum 
  obstinately 
  refused 
  the 
  fresh 
  meat, 
  were 
  always 
  more 
  

   lethargic 
  than 
  the 
  other 
  form, 
  and 
  when 
  roused 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  shy 
  

   and 
  timid. 
  Both 
  species 
  are 
  equally 
  fond 
  of 
  basking 
  in 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  