The San Francisco call., 1906-06-03
@-NKZZXWQXD


features. however. the earlier stages are
similar to those Of other vertebrates with
heavily yOlked eggs.
At the stage at which hyhernation takes
place the Tuatara embryo shows specially
interesting characteristics. Although there
is still very large quantity Of unused
yolk in the yolk sac II is far advanced
in development The limbs are well
formed. the tail is long. and the head Is
large and like the head of tortoise.
On the snout there is the sharp pointed
shell cutter. and the body Is marked with
longitudinal and transverse bands or
stripes of alternate gray and white. a pat
tern which is completely lost in the adult
DR.. Dendy adds comment to the effect
that the Tuatara conforms 10 what seems
to be a general law of coloration among
the higher vertebrates. as ii has been
observed in many. different types that the
young animal is striped even when the
adult is not. and he tanks that there Is
good ground for believing that stripping
was the first kind of pattern to make its
appearance in the ancestors Of existing
vertebrates
One of the most interesting features OF
the hybernating stage. however, is the
plugging up of the nostrils by a dense
growth of cellular tissue As far as has
been recorded. the only other creature
in which this embryonic character has
been observed is the Niwi. or Aptcryx.
New Zealand's remarkable struth:ous
bird. question has been asked as 10
why this feature should belong exolu-
siveIy to the Tuatara. which is the type
OF a very ancient reptile. ana to the
Eiwi which is the oldest and most
generaIized type of living birds; but no
/ answer has been made TO the question.
The young reptiles grow slowly. To
all appearances, specimens Of tendar age
have not Increased in size during whole
wear. A full grown Tuatara must be
fairly well advanced in years. An un-
4 usually large one was kept by some
4 Maoris in an old sweet potato pie on an
island for more than three generations of
/ men,
portant discovery of u small eye beneath
the skin on the top OF the bead Of
/ Tnatara. The eye-ffxe organ is provided
/ with a we'll marked nerve. This parietal
| or pineal eye. il has been called.
shows higher perfection of structu-.: in
/ the Tuatara than in any other known
type of animal This item was the sub
j ject of special Investigation b,y DIR. Dendy
when he took the Tuasard in hand. and
his work in this direction is exceedingly
interesting His Observations. taken in
i conjunction with the observations of
Il other men in regard 70 different types
lof lizards, justify the conclusion that
the ancestors Of existing vertebrates. in
addition to the ordinary paire1 eyes.
possessed pair of paIietal ewes. which
were placed side by side ON the top of
4 the head.
Wild pigs. dogs. cats and bush rres
are the chief enemies that haze pursued
q the Tuatara to his destruction.
+ When his venerable and 5istingusned
position is considered. il is not surprising
that many attempts are mahe to set up
claims of relationship with him. There
are Rhynehosauraus, Plesiosaurus. and
the famous old swimming Ichthyosaurus.
), besides HomoeosauPus- Claims OF kin
ship have been made Oh behalf of all
/ those ancient mariners. VINO were ON the
top rung of the social ladder In their
! day. before birds and mammals came
/ into being.
An. American professor has lately gone
to much labor to prove that the remote
ancestors of the great race of Ichthyo-
, saurus must have closely reser1bled the
living Tuatara- He states that in the
Triassic Period an ancestral Icathyosaur-
, US. who. probably hal some ulterior mo-
] tive for leaving the land. began to lose
his land-rnovfng form. and 10 IL himself
for an exclusively Aquatic life. The
! theorist says that this was brought about
by a change or modification Of the
bending limbs. of the walking TJatara
into broad. hattened paddles FOR 'waIsr
: propulsion. Adaptations also took place
in other parts OF Ichthy0saurus s bony
frame, and the short heal of the Tua-
! tara was transformed into the long.
slender. fsh-like snout Of the great buk
extinct ancient mariner.
Whether these theories are correct or
, mot. they show that extraordinary inter-
! est is taken in the Tuataras Hfe-history.
He is a link between the present and
the dark. mysterious past. into which
men are trying to pry. He was once a
power in the land-it may be presumed
: for good-but he has now been called to
{ sleep with his fathers On a lonely is
: land in distant part OF the world. he
} awaits his dismissal from Ged's bright
| universe.