Art. XLII.—Further Notes on the Habits of the Tuatara Lizard.

By Walter L. Buller, C.M.G., ScD., F.L.S.

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 their 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. Till very recently all 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.