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Star (Christchurch), Issue 16635, 18 January 1922, Page 6

A new periodical has mad© its appearance in New Zealand. It is called “ Board and Council,” and is published ©very fortnight at Auckland. The new journal is entirely devoted to reports of harbour board, city, borough and county council meetings throughout the Dominion. The journal con tains twenty-four pages of reading matter, printed in clear typo. The new enterprise should prove of interest to all local bodies, and it merits every success. The first issue was published on December 21 last. Strange visitants occasionally find their way into Auckland suburban gardens (says tho “ Herald ”)—lame seagulls, bold rabbits, and sometimes an opossum; but when a Ponsonby resident went into his garden the * other day and found a 14in Australian lizard ruminating among the lettuces he rubbed bis eyes several times. A capture was boldly effected, th© lizard secured, and carried off in triumph to the Auckland Museum. The curator at one© identified it as an Australian lizard, and was extremely interested to team that it had been found in an Auckland garden, as some three years ago another lizard of tho same kind had been found on a railway embankment at Tuakau, and similarly taken tc him for identification. In this case, however, th© finder did not car© to undertake the responsibility of th© lizard’s future—some of them live for hundreds of years—so donated it to th© museum authorities, who since then have provided it with a home in a box in th© museum grounds, where it lives in amicable companionship with a tuatara of great antiquity. It seemed strange that two Australian lizards should have made their way thus to Auckland, but when a. visit was paid to th© lizard house for the purpose of an introduction it was found that lizard number on© had vanished ! Consternation reigned, until it was discovered that, unknown to the curator, it bad been borrowed by a gentleman of a scientific turn of mind. who wished to observe its habits. Apparently the lizard resented this change of ownership, or perhaps did not relish th© Ron son by flies 1 Whatever its objection, it made good its escape, and lost no time in striking the trail back to Princes Street. When found K had covered a considerable distance, and while taking a e{ breather *’ among the lettuces—the weather being hot for lizards—was recaptured as related. It is stated that the little creature showed distinct signs of joy and affection upon being restored to its rightful owner*