She had a look at the spot from which the noise appeared to have come, but could see nothing, and came to the conclusion that a rat had attracted her attention.
Later in the day she again examined the outlet to the drain, and saw what appeared to be a fish head. She poured some water down the pipe to force out the obstruction, but with no effect.
When she next approached the pipe, a pair of short legs and part of a scaly body were connected with the head, but it was obvious that the creature was not of the fish family.
What particularly struck her, she says, was the fact that the reptile remained perfectly motionless for nearly an hour. Not liking the appearance of her mysterious visitor, she covered the drain over with a sack and waited until her brother arrived home from work.
With the aid of a long stick he was successful in drawing the captive from its place of refuge. The curator of the museum was notified of the discovery, and immediately declared it to be a particularly fine specimen of the New Zealand tuatara lizard, but he was quite unable to explain its presence in the city.
The reptile, which was fully 22 inches in length, is now in the company of three other members of his family.
• A number of bakers were proceeded against in the Auckland Police Court on Wednesday for selling light weight bread.
There were 26 charges in all, and each was dismissed on the legal point that there had been no actual sale to the inspector who had weighed the loaves.
The undisputed fact that the great majority of loaves sold were below the standard weight led Mr F. V. Frazer, S. M., to remark that bakers who deliberately sold light weight bread, with the price as high as it is at present and with so much poverty in the city, deserved greater punishment than that which the court had power to inflict.
He added that if he had occasion in the future to convict for selling light weight bread he would have no hesitation in imposing a heavy penalty, and in ordering the defendant to pay for advertising the fact of his conviction in the newspapers.
• Matters of honour apparently count for little when the desire to benefit patriotic funds is taken into consideration, and an incident which occurred at a gift auction sale, held in the Marlborough province recently, furnished a case in point (says the Express).
The story runs that whilst the auctioneers were busily engaged in selling articles of produce in aid of the distressed Belgians, a raid was made on the neighbouring hotelkeeper's fowl run, and shortly afterwards the auctioneers' catalogue was augmented by live poultry.
The birds were bought and re sold until they realised 25s. The last buyer killed the fowls, and, meeting the hotelkeeper afterwards, he offered them for sale. The offer was accepted, and the publican proudly but unwittingly purchased his own fowls at 2s each.
• In a letter to his relatives in Christchurch a member of the First (Canterbury) Infantry mentions that a number of his comrades are sadly disappointed at not receiving more letters and papers from their friends.
He says that when a mail comes in, and they receive nothing, it is heart breaking to see the poor fellows' woe begone expressions as they turn away.
The writer says that people in New Zealand cannot realise with what eagerness the troops look forward to receiving news from their friends.
- ODT, 6.4.1915
