Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1882-11-23
The HeIoderm.

The HelOderms
Helodern1n hoTrtdan1 is the technical
name which has been bestowed on the
poisonous lizard. For simplicity's sake
we will call it the heloderm. 1t is
handsome creature, and its general hue
and appearance strike the attention at
once; rather over foot in length, with
a body as thick as q mans wrist; the
ground color a warm pale yellow, COW
cred with a network pattern OF dark
brownish lines; the tail large, stumpy and
encircled with double rings; muzzle,
black. Atfirst it refused grapes, banana,
lettuce, carrot, minced meat, cock
reaches, frogs, lizards, slow-Worms, mice
and rats; all of which were rendered to
it for food it, however, devoured a
couple of eggs. Harmless as all other
lizards are supposed to be, the mouth OF
the heloderm reveals a dental arrange
ment totally at variance with all ones
preconceived ideas, cUeTy tooth appear
ING to be grooved as in the case of the
fangs of poisonous serpents. Further
more, this irreconcilable lizard holds on
to its victim, and works its jaws tiercely
and continuously after they are buried
in the flesh, as though sending an album
dant flow of venomous saliva into the
body; thus departing from all rule OF
procedure among Veneniterous serpents
on like occasions.
Itremains to be seen, however, whether
these grooved teeth are, so to speak, the
direct channels for the introduction of a
deadly secretion limited to their append
ages, as is the case with u snake or
whether they simply effect incubation
of a poisonous matter, disseminated
throughout the general saliva or mucus
of the mouth by the mere wound they
inllict, in the same way that mad dog
communicates hydrophobia by its bite
process which resembles that OF q
lancet procuring the absorption of vac
cine fluid by its scratch, while the ordl-
nary bite of a venOmOus snake is rather
TO be compared to the action of hypO-
dermic syringe 1t is worthy of note, as
bearing out both this possibility and the
inconsistent character of the heloderm,
that it has glands in the toner as well rs
in the upper jaw.
1t will be very interesting to learn the
natural food of this creature, and such
knowledge will probably give us solu-
ton of the mystery-Why is 1t, and not
the other members of the lizard tribe,
VenOmousp Nature bestOwS nothing
wantonly, and there must be a reason
for the heloderm's possession of such q
secretion-some function of vital import
to the possessOr. Poisonous snakes are
so provided, nOt-as many people mag
ine--to enable them to 90 about doing
mischief, but for the simple purpose Of
obtaining food. Destitute of the con
strictive power which distinguishes bOas
and pythons, they would be no match
for the animals which constitute theil
natural prey, were itnot for their venom
But what can q creature, having teeth
to bite with, claws to seize and tear with
agility for pursuit, and, it may be, pre-
hensible tongue, want this extra anC
seemingly superlluous ammunition fOri
In other words, upon what has it been
intended to feed, to demand such weap
ons of offense? Certainly, one would
say, not upon eggs, fruit or cabbages
like the iguana; and we find it apparently
as perfectly adapted for catching anC
staying small mammals and birds as are
many undoubtedly harmless lizards OF Z
similar size and formation.
Itmay be that it will be found to prey
upon some powerful animal that requires
great holding-power to retain, and which
may probably be cOld-blOoded animals
such as snakes. When Il VenOmous SER
pent which feeds on birds or rats attacks
it strikes a sudden blow and with
draws. The victim may stagger or fluttel
away, but is bound to fall within 6
short distance, where it can be followed
and eaten at leisure. But those which
devour their own kind like the coral
snake and hamadryad, seize the ser
penis which form their meals, and dc
not again relinguish them-much as Ou
common grass-snaze deals with frog
The reason for this is evident: the poison
takes effect so much more slowly in &
cold-blooded animal, owing to its defect
i've organization, and consequent tar
diness Of the vital process, that the bit
ten snake might escape too far to be re-
trieved if released before it died,
The Indians in Central Mexico are
said to pay superstitious, reverence to tho
heloderm, and to worship it as the incar.
nation of one of their deities. The writer
heard there-the legend obtains much
farther south-of a lizard which fights
with all venOmous snakes from an
tipathy' and other diSinterested motives
whenever it comes across them; but, as
a specimen which was brought to me
proved to be a common teguexin, and
MS, furthermore, l was told that the
lizard, when accidently bitten, always
runs to a certain shrub, etc, L confess
l did not pay much heed to the account.
1t behooyes one, however, to be guarded
in ridicule of popular errors for the flu
ture, after this distinct triumph of 'vul-
gar prejudice over scientific assur-
ance. Chambers Journal.
Paving n Hotel BiU with n Poem.