12 



The Irish Nahiralht. 



January, 



the order Rhynchocephalia. Our Dublin specimen by his behaviour 

 confirms the statement that " very few ever become at all tame, and 

 they can never be handled without the risk of a rather painful bite." 



In turning to the chapter on Lizards, the Irish naturalist looks with 

 especial care for a notice of our only native reptile Lacerta (Zootoca) 

 vivipara, and is interested to learn that captive specimens of this species 

 " have to be kept in comparativeh^ damp surroundings," as in the wild 

 state they often seek haunts in the neighbourhood of water. It is 

 important to know that a number of Continental Green Lizards {Lacerla 

 viridis) " imported some years ago by the Hon. Cecil Baring, and let 

 loose on the small island of Lambay off Dublin, have maintained themselves 

 and multiplied." 



The chapter on Snakes is noteworthy as affording reliable information 

 on the habits of these reptiles and their relations with their prey. " The 

 power of fascinating other animals, so often attributed to snakes is known 

 to be a fallacy . . . for when live mice, rabbits, ducks, &c., are 

 introduced into their cage, these will often settle down on the coils of 

 the snake or force them, by biting or pecking, to quit some snug corner 

 which they desire to appropriate." (This sentence, by the way, furnishes 

 an example of a slovenliness in construction and a want of clearness that 

 too often disfigure Mr. Boulenger's English style). No animals, except 

 monkeys, appear to recognise snakes as dangerous, or to show any alarm 

 at their proximity. Snakes have the habit of passing the tongue all 

 over their prey, " in order to locate the head ; " this habit, Mr. Boulenger 

 believes, has given rise to the statement that they salivate the victim 

 as a preparation for swallowing it. Like other naturalists who have 

 given attention to the subject, he can produce no evidence for the well- 

 worn legend that the female Viper shelters her young in time of danger 

 by temporarily swallowing them. 



The concluding section of the book deals with the Batrachians (or 

 Amphibians as they are called in most zoological treatises). Mr. Boulenger 

 has tested experimentally Dr. Kammerer's conclusions as to the co- 

 relation of the pattern of the Spotted Salamander [Salaniandra maculosa) 

 with its environment, and has failed to obtain the results announced by 

 the Austrian zoologist ; he does not refer to Kammerer's remarkable 

 experiments in transforming the breeding habits of 5. maculosa and 

 5. atra. Mr. Boulenger has succeeded, however, in obtaining frequently 

 the oft -quoted transformation of the Mexican Axolotl into Amblystoma, 

 by placing a specimen, " when about five inches in length, under 

 conditions which force it to make free use of its lungs." 



Mr. W. S. Berridge is responsible for the remarkably excellent series 

 of photographs that illustrate the book. The reptiles, frogs, and newts 

 have, almost without exception, been " caught " in a striking and 

 characteristic pose, and their life-like portraits have been admirably 

 reproduced. The book can be heartily commended to those naturalists 

 who, on the modest scale possible to their situation, follow Mr. Boulenger 

 in caring for the " lower vertebrates," be they alive or dead. 



G. H. C. 



