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"The road passed along a sandy bridge only a little elevated above the waters of the lake, and the ground on both sides was submerged. As we travelled on we were often startled by hearing sudden plunges into the water not far from us, but our view was so obstructed by bushes that it was some time before we discovered the cause. At last we found that the noise was made by large iguana lizards, some of them three feet long, and very bulky, dropping from the branches of trees, on which they lay stretched, into the water. These iguanas are extremely ugly, but are said to be delicious eating, the Indians being extremely fond of them. The Carca Indians, who live in the forest seven miles from Santa Domingo, travel every year to the great lake to catch iguanas, which abound on the dry hills near it. They seize them as they lay on the branches of the trees, with a loop at the end of a long stick. They then break the middle toe of each foot, and tie the feet together, in pairs, by the broken toes, afterwards sewing up the mouth of the poor reptiles, and carrying them in this state back to their houses in the forest, where they are kept alive until required for food. The racoon-like pisoti' is also fond of them, but cannot so easily catch them. He has to climb every tree, and then, unless he can surprise them asleep, they drop from the branch to the ground and scuttle off to another tree. I once saw a solitary pisoti hunting for iguanas amongst some bushes near the lake, where they are very numerous, but during the quarter of an hour that I watched him he never caught one. It was like the game of puss in the corner.' He would ascend a small tree on which there were several; but down they would drop when he had nearly reached them, and rush off to another tree. Master Pisoti,' however, seemed to take all his disappointments with the greatest coolness, and continued the pursuit unflaggingly. Doubtless experience had taught him that his perseverance would ultimately be rewarded: that sooner or later he would surprise a corpulent iguana fast asleep on some branch, or too late in dropping from his resting-place. In the forest I always saw the 'pisoti' hunting in large bands, from which an iguana would have small chance of escape, for some were searching along the ground, whilst others ranged over the branches of the trees."-P. 338.

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I have one more word to say, and that is to express my gratitude: I feel truly grateful for the information I have gained with so little labour and with such abundant pleasure. May Mr. Belt live long to explore other countries, and may he record thus agreeably all his explorations,―aye, and all his theories.

EDWARD NEWMAN.

Curious Malformation of the Incisor Teeth in the Skulls of Two Rats. By FRANCIS HANCOCK BALKWILL, Esq.

I SEND for your inspection two rats' skulls, in which the incisor teeth, from not meeting properly, have failed to wear away their antagonists, and, as these teeth continue to grow during life, the result has been a very curious deformity. Similar instances have been recorded of the hare, rabbit and hippopotamus. I believe, in the two former animals, it has been attributed to the accident of the opposing tooth having been shot away.

The larger of the two skulls was sent to me in the flesh, directly after it had been caught in a trap, in a warehouse in Cork, by the late Mr. J. H. Richardson, of Newcastle.

The cause of the deformity has evidently been a large malignant tumour (cancer) in the body of the lower jaw on the left side just behind the molar teeth, occupying the whole of the bone there, and enlarging it so as to lengthen that side and throw the tops of the lower incisor teeth a little to the right of their true position; in consequence the left upper incisor has escaped wear, and has grown so that, estimating as nearly as possible where the tooth originates in the bone, it has completed about three-quarters of a circle, instead of only half, its normal size.

The rat, which was the common brown, was in good condition, notwithstanding that the disease had so involved and softened the bones as to make it quite impossible to get a perfect skull.

The other, which is much more unique, was also brought me in the flesh, by Mr. W. C. James, one of his men having just caught it in his starch manufactory. It was an old English black rat, a species which he informs me is not at all dying out on the starch works,-in good health and condition, with nothing that can with any certainty be pointed to as accounting for its extraordinary appearance.

From some cause, in early life, the front of the lower jaw has been deflected a little to the left, so as to allow the upper and lower incisors to pass each other without meeting. How old it was at death I should not like to say, but it had lived long enough for the right upper incisor to have made two entire circles,-that is, looking at the head in profile, the point of the tooth just reaches to where the tooth commences to be formed in the jaw; and as

the tooth was directed a little outward it has formed a spiral, very similar in shape and size to what would be found by cutting off the last two turns of a closely-twisted corkscrew.

The left incisor being deflected inwards has entered the superior maxillary bone again very near the origin of the right incisor, and after penetrating the bone for nearly a quarter of an inch, and completed rather more than a circle, it must have found the resistance too great to overcome, and ceased growing, otherwise it should be as long as its fellow.

The lower incisors describing so much longer a curve have been more subject to accident, and have apparently been broken, the left quite recently, possibly when captured, as was the right upper, to little more than its normal length. The right, which is about half an inch longer than it ought to be, had grown through the upper lip, and by continual pressure produced a slight but decided malformation of the intermaxillary and nasal bones.

The right lower maxilla is a little longer than the left, but whether this was the cause or result of the deformity I could not say. The first curve of the right upper incisor is a good deal smaller than it becomes afterwards, showing the youth of the animal on the first occurrence of the irregularity.

It is strange that with such disadvantages the animal should have been able to maintain its condition, and that the vascular tissues should have permitted themselves to be pierced as they were without the least sign of inflammation.

F. H. BALKWILL.

Notes on the Birds of New Zealand.
By T. H. POTTS, Esq., F.L.S.

(Continued from Zool. S. S. 3716.)

Saddleback (Creadion carunculatus, Gmel.).-The "saddleback" of the settlers ("tieke" of the natives), which a few years since was commonly met with in the more thickly wooded portions of Banks Peninsula, is now of rare occurrence there. The extensive area of growing timber at the Little River Bush will probably be its last refuge in that part of the country, so rapidly is the Peninsula becoming disforested. Although we have met with, and have known of the nest of this striking looking bird in the more open parts of

the forest, yet it seeks and loves the shady covert of the densest bush, where decaying tree and damp mosses conceal an insect-food supply. It does not appear to be strong on the wing; we have never seen it attempt a lengthened flight, yet its movements are notably prompt, rapid and decided. It usually announces its sudden approach by a shrill note unlike that of any other bird we know; it sounds like "chee-per-per, chee-per-per," repeated several times in quick succession. No sooner is this call-note heard than the bird emerges from its leafy screen and bounds before the spectator as suddenly as harlequin in a pantomime. From these abrupt movements, or flying leaps, thus shrilly accompanied, it seeems to perform a rôle of its own that appears almost startling amidst the umbrageous serenity of the forest. Let the eye follow its motions, that are so quickly changed, and watch the tieke perched for a few moments on the lichen-mottled bole of some fallen tree-a favourite position: its glossy black plumage is relieved from sameness by the quaint saddle-mark of deep ferruginous that crosses its back and wings; the red caruncles add much to the sprightliness of its air: the observer will probably notice that its attitude is peculiar, or, in colonial phrase, "it has a queer set on it." The head and tail are kept rather elevated; the feathers of the tail take a gently sweeping curve; the bird looks as though prepared to leap: one more glance, and it is away, climbing some moss-clothed trunk, or picking its food from beneath the flakes and ragged strips of bark that hang from the brown-stemmed fuchsia tree. It must be an early breeder. On the Teremakau we have seen the young, almost of adult size, in the first week of December. For its nesting-place a hollow or decayed tree is usually selected, sometimes the top of a tree-fern is preferred. The first nest we knew of was found by an old friend in a hole about four feet from the ground in a huge white pine, kahikatea (Podocarpus dacrydoides), close to the bank of the Ahaura river; it contained three eggs hard-set. We found a nest in a dead treefern not far from Lake Mapourika, Westland: this was of slight construction, built principally of fern-root, deftly woven into rather a deep-shaped nest with thin walls; as the structure just filled the hollow top of the tree-fern thick walls were unnecessary. Another nest, in a small-sized decayed tree in the Okarita bush, was in a hole not more than three feet from the ground; it was roughly constructed, principally of fibres and midribs of decayed leaves of

the kiekie (Freycinetia Banksii), with a few tufts of moss, leaves of rimu, lined with moss and down of tree-ferns (Cyathea); it measured across from outside to outside of wall twelve inches six lines, cavity three inches diameter, depth of cavity two inches. The egg, measuring nearly one inch four lines through the axis, with a breadth of eleven lines and a half, is white, sprinkled over with faint purplish marks, towards the broad end brownish purple, almost forming one large blotch. The breeding season probably extends from September to January; the young are protected and fed by the old birds till almost full grown; they are summoned by the parent birds with their usual call, nor from this does the note of their active offspring greatly differ: the saddleback quickly responds to the summoning note of its species. An imitation of the sound by the assistance of a leaf between the lips serves to attract its presence, and is sometimes used by the collector for this purpose. The next point to be considered is the plumage; that of the adult is easily described, for the feathers of the sexes fail to exhibit any distinction. The collection in the Canterbury Museum contains numerous specimens in the young state, procured at different seasons of the year:

A.-Female obtained on Banks Peninsula, in the month of March (our autumnal period), has the whole plumage cinereousbrown, slightly flushed with rufous, excepting bastard wing and the inner webs of the tail-feathers, which are black; outer wingcoverts margined with ferruginous; upper and under tail-coverts ferruginous; wattles very small, pale yellow; mandibles black, except the edge of the basal portion of the lower mandible, which is margined with yellow for a distance of six lines; tarsi and feet black; claws horn-colour; length of the bill from gape one inch four lines.

B.-Male killed at Little River Bush in November (early summer), differs but little from the preceding specimen, except that the caruncles are more developed, and the bill is longer by two lines.

C.-Male obtained in the bush near Akaroa, in August (the last winter month), has a warmer tinge of ferruginous flecked on the interscapulars and dorsals.

D.-Female, procured on the same day at the same locality, differs only from specimen A in being less warmly tinted with

rufous.

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