TUATARA LIZARDS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 September 1924, Page 8

TUATARA LIZARDS.

STEADILY INCREASING

The tuatara lizard of New Zealand, winch affords students of natural history sc much interest, is, according to reports received by the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. R. F. Bollard), steadily increasing in numbers on the islands on which it has been placed under protection. to the Minister, Mr J. u iff m, a light keeper at the Brothers Lighthouse, in Cook Strait, states that since his arrival there in 1922 he lias noticed that tuatara lizards have been steadily increasing, several fine young' specimens having been seen. The chief diet of the reptiles seems to consist of beetles and . other insects, but they had been seen eating scraps of food, sucli as bread, meat, etc. The worst enemy of the tuatara was the hawk, which came, from the mainland. These pests did not appear to be as numerous as in former years, but the keepers had destroyed several in the past fouir months. Apart from hawks, the lizards seemed to have no other natural enemy at that particular place. They were. in healthy condition, and the writer stated that he had noticed no dead ones during his stay on the station. A report to the Marine Department by Mr R-. S. Sutherland, a lightkeeuer at the Cuvier Island lighthouse, states’ that it is extremely doubtful whether the lizards breed every year. A vigorous search had been made in an endeavour to learn something of their ‘ eggs and breeding habits, but no eggs had been found. A burrow, however, was found which contained the skins of eggs from which eleven young tuatara had been hatched only a short time previously. The work of reducing the reptiles’ enemies—cats, hawks and rats—had been carried out with only a moderate amount of success. The domestic cats which had been allowed to go wild in former times were breeding. They seemed to feed chiefly, on the grey-faced petrels, birds which; were worthy of careful protection, as : it was a peculiar species, reported to be found only on a few islands round about the Hauraki Gulf. The tuatara lizard's on Stephen’s Island are also reported to be doing well.