LACERTILIA 179 



One or more turtles or tortoises were seen about Hawera in 

 Taranaki in 1915. 



Class AMPHIBIA 



Order ANURA 



Family Hylid^e 



* Australian Green Frog (Hyla aurea) 



The Auckland Society introduced two in 1867, and in the following 

 year received several small lots from Sydney. They increased quickly 

 and are now abundant all over the North Island. 



The Canterbury Society received some frogs in 1867 from the 

 Hobart Acclimatisation Society, and some tadpoles in 1868 from 

 Mr Alport of Hobart and from Mr W. L. Hawkins. 



The Southland Society received some spawn (from Hobart?) in 

 1868, which was hatched out at the Wallacetown Ponds. Frogs soon 

 were carried to various places on the Southland Plains, but they did 

 not thrive and had all disappeared by 1890. 



A similar experience was met with in Otago. About 60 frogs 

 and tadpoles were obtained from Napier in 1888, and were Uberated 

 in a marsh. They were seen about for a few days, and then all dis- 

 appeared. It is possible that in both cases wild ducks of some kind 

 or other accounted for them all. Later on others were brought down 

 from the north and liberated in Otago and Southland. 



Green frogs are now common throughout the South Island. In 

 Westland, where they were introduced from Nelson about 1896, they 

 have largely displaced the small brown frog (H. ewingii), which was 

 established on the west coast some 20 years previously. Marriner 

 says: "From what I have seen of the Hyla aurea, it would find the 

 small brown frog very eatable, and if it does not stop at eating its 

 own kind, there is very little chance of it sparing the small strangers." 



Mr Dansey informs me that frogs were introduced into Rotorua 

 by Captain Gilbert Mair about 1878, and that now (191 6) they are 

 numerous everywhere in the district. 



I well remember the uneasiness and consternation in the native village, 

 upon some native excitedly reporting his having seen a peculiar ngarara 

 (reptile) in a pond near the lake, and describing that it had fingers and 

 toes and swam like a human being. Dread was expressed at the idea of 

 swallowing young ones while drinking water, that they might grow inside 

 to gnaw away at their stomachs. Others ascribed the bringing into the 

 district of such reptiles, as the doing of some evil-minded European to 

 wipe out the natives and secure their lands. 



Mr A. C. Yarborough of Kohu-Kohu states that frogs were 

 abundant in 1884 on the east side of the Hokianga, and appeared on 



