NATURAL HISTORY. 
409 
the frequent fires, and to the introduction of the cat, which 
greedily preys upon them; they are therefore now, compara¬ 
tively speaking, seldom seen. The chief lizard still existing 
is the ruatara, (tiliqua Zealandica,) the guana; it is about 
eighteen inches long ; the head is large, with a fine benevolent 
eye; it has a row of white serrated points on the back, with 
similar dark ones on the tail; the teeth are rounded, and the 
tongue triangular; its toes are slender; it lays on its back when 
basking in the sun, and burrows. It is now only found on the 
small islands in Cook’s Straits, or on the eastern coast of the 
North Island. It is of a dark brown color, intermingled with 
yellow. The natives have a great horror of it, although it is 
perfectly harmless. 
Kakariki (naultinus elegans ) is a beautiful bright green lizard, 
about eight inches long; it has the power of contracting or 
dilating the pupil of its eye. The natives are much alarmed 
at the sight of it, and especially if they should hear it laugh, 
(so they call the noise it makes,) which they say is a sure sign 
of death to the person who hears it. The natives imagine 
that all diseases are caused by this lizard crawling down their 
throats, when they are asleep. The male is perfectly green; 
the female has a longitudinal line of white spots running down 
the lower part of each side. 
There are several other kinds of lizards, one is beautifully 
spotted and of a black velvet color ; another is of a flesh color 
under the neck and belly, and dark brown on the back.* 
Ord. Amphibia. —Fam. ranee .—Until lately the frog was not 
supposed to be in New Zealand, for although Polack stated he 
could not sleep for the noise of their croaking, no other travel¬ 
ler has met with such annoyance, though many have traversed 
the country far more frequently and entirely than he ever did, 
* Black lizards, with hair or down on them, and about four feet long, are 
said to abound in the green stone lake. A man named Hawkins, who lived in 
that part of the island for many years, is said to have kept one of these lizards, 
which he fastened with a dog chain. They are amphibious. The same indi¬ 
vidual caught one of the night emus, which is said to have stood near a yard 
high. He also met with what he called a kind of a fresh-water otter: as he 
found their skins were not equal to those of the seal, he did not trouble himself 
any more about them. This appears to have been the beaver already alluded to. 
