Evening star., 1898-09-19
ABOUNDS IN LIZARDS AND SNAKES
Desperate Contests Between Snake
Destroyers and Their Prey.

From Nature Notes.
We are rich in lizards in Tasmania; they
abound everywhere, summing themselves
on the tree trunks, crawling over the
stumps, running about the garden, and oc-
casionally investigating domestic affairs in
the houses. They are mostly quick, lively
little fellows with brown skins diversified
with black and eyes as bright as diamonds.
Then there are the ''bloodsuckers," ashy-
gray lizards with irregular black markings
upon the back, and covered with spiny pro-
jections; most people are rather afraid of
them and they do look very ferocious when
annoyed, for they open their mouths with
a cape like a crocodile, as II II would give
them great pleasure to swallow US whole
The death adder Is another lizard that
grows to a good size, and is very prettlly
marked; it is much dreaded in the bush
for its supposed poisonous properties, and
the most dreadful tales are told OF its en-
venomed attacks. Probably the idea has
arisen through the snakeiike appearance
of this saurian as it glides through the
herbage, its body being very long and
slender and the legs comparatively snort.
The largest of our lizards, however, ls
the "bue-tongued," stout, Formidable
looking fellow clad in a yellow and black
suit of plate-armor and much gwen 10 ~
ing about the bush roads and tracks
asleep in the sun, when one can often step
over him. even on horseback, without dis
turbing his slumbers. This heaviness OF
disposition has earned for our stolid friend
another name-the sleeping lizard while
from his fondness for taking up residence
in the holes of dry stumps he is also known
as the stump lizard" Finally, his nick
name among the bush folk is "goanner,
corruption, evidently, of fguana, to
which family, however, he bears no re-
semblance being a non-climber and of
thick. stout build. Now, this blue.
tongued" lizard, the Tiliqua nigrolutea of
rrao al he
hands of the bushman on account of one
very interesting popularity which 1t mani
tests in common with the lord OF creauon-
namely, to its great antpathy TO snakes.
In Tasmania 1t takes the place OF that not
ed cobra destroyer, the Indian mongoose,
and ill-adapted as 1t would at 1rst appear
to encounter such foes, yet 1t generally
comes off the victor.
disposition of our black-and-yellow knight,
but let a nice medium-sized snake heave
into sight and all is changed. The sleepl-
ness disappears if by magic, and every
nerve seems on the alert. every slneW
toughened to meet the enemy. This latter
has evidently, mo stomach for tight, and
would straight depart but his assaillant
bars the way and forces an encounter.
Then. quick as lightning, the snake makes
a dart but our friend lodges with prac-
ticed skill and gets in bite himself.
So they go on. darting and lodging ana
savagely swapping at each other. the snake
getting the worst of it all the time: and
soon exhibiting the most unmistakable
signs of being played out. Now is the
"goanners' opportunity; with a quick
deytarous turn he tWisx the snah e over,
and gives him coup de grace under the
chin" Then comes the reward of valor;
taking the head between his strong jaws,
our blue-tongued hero begins with much
relish to MUNICH his fallen foe. and, stick
ing to him with the same persistency as
during the fight soon disposes of the whole
scaly length, and having thus accounted
for another child of the evil one. the
victor retires to the shelter of hollow log
to sleep off the repast-