THE STORY OF THE TUATARA.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 442, 24 February 1912, Page 7

THE STORY OF THE TUATARA.

A LINK WITH PRE-HISTORIC REPTILES. The stury of the Tuatara should be of special interest to New as the Dominion is the only place where the strange creature is found. The folluwing article by Professor Drummond, F.L.S., F.Z.S., appeared in the Standard of Empire, and tells the story of the Tuatara in a highly interesting manner. "I have in my garden in Christchurch, Mew Zealand, a reptile which can boast of a more ancient lineage and more conservative instincts than any other living creature. He is fairly closely related to Pleisionsaurus, Rhyncosaurus, Proterosaurus, and the famous old swimming reptile, Ichthyosaurus, all of whom were high up in society in their day. His nearest ally is Homoeo3aurus an old buffer who lived in Europe in the Jurassic period. He has attracted the attention of the world's brightest intellects. He is an object of reverential curiosity to scientists of all nations and they have recognised his splendid isolation in the animal kingdom by placing him in an order of which he is the only living representative. This great order is called Rhynchocephalia beakheaded. Its members are believed to be the most generalised group of reptiles and the nearest relatives of the order from which all other relatives of the order from which all other rep tiles sprang, "My reptile's name is Sphenodon punctatus. The former word which means wedge-shaped tooth was given to him because of a peculiar tooth on his upper jaw and the latter because of the spotted appearance of his skin. The ancient Maoris of New Zealand called him tuatara and he is now popularly called the Tuatara lizard for convenience and brevity. He is not really a lizard but is a "wee bit connection" of lizards turtles crocodiles and birds. His affinities to turtles are as strong as his affinities to lizards and some of his ribs have hooked processes like the ribs of a bird. "These ancient, aristocratic ancestors of his, which were very plentiful in many parts of world, passed their long lives in dreary and desolate scenes that no flowers or foliage brightened. He thinks that what was good enough for them is good enough for him. Their habits are his habits, and the clings to their views of life closer than a Government clings to office. His forefathers never joined in the cry of 'Forward !' From generation to generation, period to period, and epoch to epoch, they stood stockstill while the world rushed past them.

"They abhorred change and scorned progress, but loved ease and worshipped contentment, and lived in the Castle of Indolence. They were soon forgotten by a busy, hustling world. One after another they were quietly dropped behind by country after country, and now, in these days of science and industry, the sole survivor of that mighty race of sluggards finds a place of abode in New Zealand, where he is a living fossil and a thing of pity. "For many centuries he was preserved in that land, because it was almost utterly devoid of mammals. The Maoris were his only natural enemies, and superstition was a barrier between them and him. Consequently, he had the whole country as his domain; but some sixty years ago civilisation swept down upon his home bringing with it wild pigs dog 3 and cats. These have pursued him to his destruction and be has been banished to a few small islands near the coast, which are his last strong towers against enemies. Fortunately for him, the New Zealand Government has taken compassion upon him and has thrown over him the shield of the law's protection. On island sanctuaries he may live for some years, but it is difficult completely to protect him in his defenceless plight, and it seems to be fairly certain that he has been doomed to sleep with his fathers. "'My tuatara was hatched on Stephen Island, a rock in Cook Strait, which separates the North Island of New Zealand from the South Island. He spent his babyhood there, and when he began to be a big Sphenodon, he leisurely hunted grasshoppers, flies, spiders, beetles, and other small game with as much skill as any member of the tuatara community. When not following the cha3e, hj« spent most of his time busking in the sun, sprawling in shady pools, drinking huge draughts of cold spring water, and listening to the fierce wind 3 that howl through the strait and race over his little island home. He is twenty-three inches from the tip of his snout to the tip of his tail, a little over the average length of an adult tuatira,. On the ridge of his back he has a row of ornamental spines, which he raises in bristling line when he is very angry. His teeth are as white as ivory and as sharp as the teeth of a saw, and the lining uf his mouth is like pink satin. His greatest beauty, however, is in his eye. It is soft and prominent ana hazel, and it conveys a mighty depth of intelligence and- sentimentality. He has no external ears, but his hearing is very acute. "I have often walked up to his cage on tip-toe, and looked in, thinking that I would catch him unawares; but if awake he has had his head cocked on one side, and his eyes have glanced round in my direction, shining with alertness. "Some N"W Zealanaers who have become acquainted with this famous and aristocratic inhabitant of their country run away with an idea that he has a muddy intellect. Thi« is far from the truth. There is ample evidence to show that he is not wanting in brain power. It is sheer laziness, not dullness of intellect, that has been his undoing.

"He has an inherited and constitutional aversion to physical exertion, but he is not too lazy to think. I have known him to lie for hour after hour without moving a muscle, except those that work the eyelids. One of his most striking customs is to proclaim a fast once a year. He observes it with a strictness that could not have been surpassed, and probably

| was not equalled, by the fasting projpheta of old. For months he abso- ! lately abstains from food of any kind, J and will hardly look at luscious i worms and snails, which he eats with undisguised relish when the fast is ended. "I have never heard him mutter more than one word. It is 'Ugh! He uses it only when he thinks he' is going to be hurt. The sound seems to come from the pit of his stomach. It gives an impression that he is trying to mix a deep groan with a hollow croak. Otherwise he i 3 as silent as the grave. "I have tried to keep a '.nate for him, but have not been successful, as all my female tuataras have died. Eleven months are occupied in hatching the eggs, and the slow development that takes place affords good opportunities for watching the different stages of growth of the embryo. "Young tuataras grow slowly, and specimens of tender age, to all appearances, have not increased in size during a whole year. There is no record of the average life of a tuatara, but it is known that an unusually large one was kept by some Maoris in a pit for sweet potatoes fur more than three generations of men. "On Stephen Island in Cook Strait nests are sometimes found when the keepers are making preparations for their crops in the spring. These eggs have been opened at different times. In all cases there were ingide perfect little lizards some of which although nut more than an inch and a half long were able to 'Seek shelter when liberated. On some islands it is not unusual to find a tuatara living in company with a petrel a sea bird which also burrows in the ground. Apparently the reptile and the bird live in peace, but it is probable that the former takes a toll from the latter s young. The tuatara is timid in the presence of larger animals, but it becumes very courageous and ferocious when helpless things are placed in its power. A New Zealand naturalist once caught s6me tuataras, and placed them in a box with about twenty small lizards. He noticed that the lizards diminished in numbers each day, until at last only six remained, and these seemed to be absolutely paralysed with fear. Whenever a tuatara moved, the poor little creatures crouched down and tried to hide under dry leaves in the bo*. While watching the animals he saw a tuatara in the act of eating a lizard. It had crushed the little fellow quite flat, beginning at the head, and rejecting about an inch of the tail. Male tuataras fight furiously, biting hard and clinging tightly with theii mouths. They have to be handled carefully, as they can give a nasty bite when in a bad temper. "Scientifically, one of the tuatara s most interesting features is the presence of the pineal or parietal eye, a degenerate organ which may be traced in many animals. In the tuatara it reaches the skin on the top o<! the head, and is more highly developed than in any other animal, retaining distinct traces of a complex retina. "In other respects, as I have tried to show in this short article, the tuatara is a shocking example of what will befall the sluggard and the indolent person. In spite of protection by Act of Parliament, the tuatara seems to be advancing to his doom, he has been banished to a few islets off the coast of a remote country, and dismissal from God's bright universe seems to await him. He has committed the sin of inaction, and he must earn the wages of it, which is death. When I am in a lazy mood, and feel that it is better to relinquish the struggle and to take things easily, I sometimes look at my tuatara and think: 'The world has got tired of you and your indolent, ways, my friend, and the fate which is likely to overtake you awaits all who will net try to progress.'