THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2913, 12 January 1910, Page 80

THE NATURALIST.

The Australian Goanna

Although always spoken of as the goanna, this reptile is usually, when written about, referred to as the iguana. Goanna is, ot course, only the bushrnian's shorthand abbreviation''of iguana, just as he chipped the preliminary "d" from opossum riut there are two reason* why it might be contended that the new and simpler words should be adopted permanently into our language. In the first placs, our goanna is not a true iguana. The name belongs to a large family of reptiles, belonging almost wholly to the northern hemisphere, and i* is confusing to apply the same name to another large and distinct family in an opposite hemisphere. In the second place, the reptile is a " goanna" to 19 out of 20 people; it is a fairly distinctive name, and it identifies the reptile as Australian. At one time it was rarely that you saw the word goanna in print, but latterly it has become quite common. From Cape Otway to Torres Straits, from Perth to Svdnev, you find the goanna—in, the widest "variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. The goanna varies greatly in size, but surelv there can be nothing under the sun that* varies so wonderfully m colour. They are black with yellow spots, or yellow with black spots, or yellow with greenish spots. Then there is the banded variety, with all manner of coloured bands or stripes. Then some are one colour on the back, with a violently-contrasting colour underneath. Some are streaked lengthways, and some are curiously marked all over. Altogether it seems as if Nature was m a ra«r sportive mood when she decorated the goannas, and spent the best part ot a sunny Australian summer in the process. Apart from their colour differences, and tho-se of size, these remarkable reptiles differ greatly in shape. There is one known as the Moloch. It is not a nice name, but it suits the appearance of the owner, who is covered with thorny spikes, two of which stick out of its forehead. This strange creature is coloured red and vellow, so that it has a most forbidding aspect. It happens, however, that it belies its appearance, as it is extremely quiet and inoffensive, and lives on insects. The frilled lizard is large enough to be called a goanna, and it is one of the most interesting- members of the family. Around its neck it has a curious collapsible membrane, which, when excited or alarmed, it erects, though for what purpose this is done I cannot discover. A few weeks ago I cam© across one sitting patiently on a fence post. It sat there until I took a photo of it with its frill up from the next post, only 9ft away. Its mate, on the sand below, sat still until I took it by the tail. Then it struggled gently in protest as I put it on the post beside the other one. It was a very hot day, and there were scores of larger and uglier stump-tailed lizards along the track. Their curious and distinctive trails were across the dusty bush track for miles. These big lizards, which were over a foot long as a rule, while some were nearly 18in, were very quiet and sleepy, so much so that many of them are killed? by passing traffic, and it is quite easy, to catoh them.

We found a green and yellow goanna vtp a small acacia, evidently on the look-out for birds' eggs, as it was nesting-time. It is in this direction that the goanna does moat damage. Baingv of a fairly large build, it needs a goodly amount of susbenanoe each day; and I have no doubt that it devours enormous quantities of wild birds' eggs every season. Eggs and young birds are both pleasant morsels to them, and many a young brood is cleaned out, arid the parent birds left desolate, by the agency of these ugly marauders. Some of the larger birds are equal to the occasion, and can, drive the goanna away, but as a rule the sneaking- bush thief is the victob

The goanna is an adept at tr.pe-climbing, unfortunately; and the tree i»s his natural, .home. Usually his progress on the ground is laboured, though when pursued he can cover the distance between hj m *m«d the nearest tree with remarkable celerity.

The largo goannas will attack any animal in the bash with the exception, of course 1 , of euch big game us the kangaroo and' the emu. But if one can get within springing distance of a rabbit, harp, or any ordinary bird, it instantly attacks, and usually with success. Its method with anything large, such as a full-grown rabbit or a hare, is to spring on the animal and get, a good grip. It isn't particular where it gets the grip: but, once got, it just holds on like a vice until the animal drops exhausted. Then the rest ie easy. One summer day, when, we were having our midday lunch in the scrub, we heard the squeal of a hare. Investigating, we found a Joanna fastened to a young hare at the ~?.ck of its ear. They were in a little open patch, and the hare was running vound and 1 round in a circle. It woidd soon have got exhausted ; but, attracted apparently by the squeals, another large goanna rushed out from the scrub and endeavoured to grab the hare. The latter made a violent spring to evade the new enemy, and l in the struggle got rid of the first goanna before tho second could get a grip of her. And as she few off comparatively uninjured', two foolish goanoas stood looking at each other. It was all done so quickly that. our intention of rescuing the hare was hardly formed before she was out of sight. I feel certain, however, that the first goanna, if unmolested ,would have secured the hare.

Apparently the vision of the goamia, is defective, as one of its commonest practices is to run up tha legs of a man or a horse, in, mistake for a tree. It* ifi obvious that this habit makes it necessary for a Erse* man, and especially the driven- of a horse in a conveyance, to te on hie guard. I know of one very bad accident that occurred through a goanna, running up fcko of a spirited horse in a jinloer. T*s ended in two broken legs and a smashed jinker. New chums on back -blocks stations are often the subjects of a goanna climb, engineered by the other statio» hands. The recognised method of get tin-* • rid of the creature is to throw yfcursel" flat on the ground, when the goanna will scamper off in search of a genuine tree.— F. R., in the Australasian.

African Butterflies Attacking*

Fruit.

Ifc is generally held that butterflies and moths are injurious to the agriculturist only in their larval stage. Evidence ia being accumulated which shows that this view is not in all cases correct. In the American Naturalist for 13*50 it was state'' that a moth (Ophicseres fullonica) caused considerable damage to crops of oranges br inserting its proboscis through the peel is > as to suck the juices, and this is quoted in Dr Sharp's volume on insects in the "Cambridge Natural History." A few years ago in the Transvaal the attacks of another moth (Ophima catella) brought ruin to the crops or peaches, plums, and grapes in. many districts, and two other specks (O. lienardi anal Sphingomorpha chlarea) are credited with similar ravages in Cape Colony. These insects possess strong, sharp prcboscides, quite capable of puncturing a hard, green fruit. Mr O. W. Howard, chief officer of the entomoJogioal division of the Agricultural Department of Mozambique, reports some cases of damages to fruit crops by butterflies in the last number of the Annals" of the Transvaal Museum. Last April his attention «*as called to the less of the crop of apples on a few trees near Lorenzo Marques. On investigation ha. found thai; not only the apples, but some quinces growing near were rendered unfit for use owing to the depredations of a small butterfly (Crenie boisdluvali). The apple trees were " literally covered with butterflies," so intent on. their work that it was very easy to watch r,hem force the proboscis through the skin of the appie. suet up the juioe, and then insert the proboscis at a. new angle. On cutting- open the fruit nothing was found but fibres in the area beneath the puncture, the only mark of damage on the exterior. Decay soon set in, and' when the apples fell the butterflies continued their feast upon the decaying mass. About a month later Mr Howard's attention was called to another case in which oranges and tanererinea were attacked by two butterflies (Cbaraxes neanthes' and C. Koolina). Tho oranges were of a vsry thick-skinned variety, and still green. A few days after puncture decay set it, and the oranges- dropped from" the trees. Section through the part attacked showed a mass of fibres, with all the juice extracted. Hundreds of butterflies were present ; seven or eight were offaqfi seen on one orange, and the ground beneath the trees was thickly strewn with decaying fruit. Of these two species it was recorded by Trimen that they are* fond of the sap that, exudes from the woumdls in trees, the moisture in damp earth*; animal droppings, and decomposing- carcases. Mr Swiestra, of the Transvaal. Museum, who identified the specimens obtained by Mr Howard, had already discovered that these butterflies would feed on. decaying fruit as well as on putrescent animal matter..