Paper, 'Preliminary note on the development of the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatum)' by A P W [Algernon Phillips Withiel] Thomas

Description

Thomas writes: 'A grant was made by the Royal Society in the year 1884 to Professor J T Parker, of Dunedin, for the study of the development of Apteryx, Sphenodon and Callorhynchus. As Sphenodon does not occur near Dunedin, but is found chiefly on outlying islands belonging to the province of Auckland, at the opposite end of the colony, Professor Parker invited me to join him in the investigation of this form. We gathered from what had been written on the natural history of the tuatara, as well as from oral information obtained from those who were best acquainted with the New Zealand fauna, that the month of February was probably the time at which the tuatara bred.'

Annotations in pencil and ink.

Subject: Zoology / Morphology

Received 19 May 1890. Read 12 June 1890. Communicated by Edwin Ray Lankester.

A version of this paper was published in volume 48 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'Preliminary note on the development of the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatum)'.

Reference number

PP/16/14

Earliest possible date

1890

Physical description

Ink and graphite pencil on paper

Page extent

10 pages

Format

Manuscript