All Australian Scorpion.

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 76

All Australian Scorpion.

Nature must have been in a whimsical mood when she fashioned Gymnodactylus platuius and the rest of his ancient family-

She- imposed upon him a. burden of ugliness so heavy that he ofttimes pays for it with his life. Scientists call him by his long title, but he is best known to tho dweller in the bush by such names as rock scorpion or rock adder, and frequently has to be battered to death by the uninitiated who ha\e boon under the impression that by their deed at least one death adder i-> there the less. Gymnodactylus platurus is rcpulsiic there is no doubt. He is also harmless, a fact that the naturalist insists upon, notwithstanding the ■vehement denials of the bigoted.

The history of the Gymnodac^ lus platurus starts with tho fact that he is an Australian representative of the ver\ ancient and widely distributed family of tho geckoes. There are altogether-~>«jO varieties of this interesting saurian familiar to both old and new worlds, and his cousins, the wall geckoes, are to be frequently met in Southern Europe, where they are mostly found in old buildings. They 'are all more or less hideous; in fact, the Cadactyms laevis, a resident of the West Indies, is held in much terror by the superstitious negroes and indeed its- repulsive form quietly resting on a rafter gazing with its wide expressionless eyes is well calculated to inspire fear. In Egypt the \ariety is known asabouburs. The fellahs there ascribe to it a malevolence totally undeserved, and say that it produces leprosy. Even the ancients invested it w ith supernatural powers, declaring that it could leave its teeth impressions on steel ! In India the true gecko is nearly as common as blowflies in an Australian summer. They dart along the wails with tails upraised, much after the fashion of an excited "croc," in active pursuit of flies, even securing their prey on the coiling of rooms. This is made possible by the construction of the lower part of their toes, the soles of which are dilated, forming a sort of disc, the inferior surfaces being composed of numerous transversenotched laminae, between which a sticky fluid exudes. Another interesting feature with these lizards is that they are capable of emitting; a sound resembling the wood gecko The "West Indian variety, owing to this faculty, is known as the croaking lizard. An instance came under the writer's 1 notice, which showed him that Gymnodactylus platurus are also gifted with vocal power. During a hot summer afternoon in the Blue Mountains, while he was lying on a sheet of turpentine bark, one, presumably the male, crawled out from under the eheel. and, apparently having satisfied himself that all was clear, emitted several l faint chirps, which were, distinctly audible notwithstanding the din caused by myriads of cicadas in th^ surrounding bush. Presently an ugly little head, set with brilliant eyes, peeped over the edge, and Mrs G. P. joined her spouse. Unfortunately, however, owing to the ignorance and cruelty of average mankind, the two were very soon gathered to their fathers. Tho range' of G. platurus is wide over New South Wales. It is to be met with among the rocks of the bushland and about the shores v of Sydney Harbour. Its habitat it, generally speakine, anywhere east of the Australian Alps. In the Cooktown district (Queensland^ G. cqrnutus ia common. i This variety differs mainly from his New I South Wales cousin in the conformation of the tail, which is furnished _ with two lobes. Another Queensland variety is G. shyrurus, met with about Cairns. # G. platurus is about half a dozen inches in length, and varies in co'our from a light stone to a dark brown. Its colour scheme generally harmonises with its surroundings. The body is of a depressed form, with a short neck, blunt, thickish head, and prominent eyes. Its legs are short, and the toes, instead 1 of being furnished with claws, terminate with discs. The .tail is characteristic, being short, triangular, or leaf-shaped. When i excited this creature looks fierce indeed, as, with tail erect and mouth agape, it faces its tormentor. Touch tKe tail ever so lightly, and it becomes at once detached, wriggling about in the most disconcerting manner. The creature is also said to possess the power of voluntarily dissociating itself of its caudal appendage. This accomplishment, naturalists aver, is so that the attention of a predatory bird may be diverted to the gyrations of the member, while its late owner seeks safety in flight. They are nocturnal in their habits, and exhibit sonve amount of activity in their pursuit of. prey.