Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-13
SOME CuRIoUs THINGs.
The Tail-Tossing Lizards Found in the
Sierra Madre Mountains.

SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAINS, SOUTH
ERN CALIFORNIA, Feb. 2.--"Gong to
dynamite the Sierrasr" was asked a
friend, who, rugged out in a corduroy suit
aud mountain leggings, was betting on a
conspicuous-looking tin canister.
Hardly" was the reply. u am OF for
the day on the mountain on a lizard hunt,
want a whipper-in, 30 come along"
ssAre lizards the only inducementW
SHOT at all. Take your gun and I'll
show you mountain quail that will do
your heart good and perhaps a glimpse
of a deer. Why, look at that, man." SAID
my friend, pointing over the range,where'
fer away, resting like dove on the green
tips Of the Sierra Madres, was the snow
top OF old BernardinO glistening IKE
gem. "l'll guarantee closer view OF
that, enough to pay any one for a twenty
mile walk; and more, III introduce you
60 the tail-tossers."
All these inducements proved sutii-
Gent, and before the sun had risen well
over the range we were mile up the
canyon.
~ir you see a lizard or frog or any
thing alive, take it," were my lnstruc-
tiohs.
hfn stream that in tens OF thousands of
Wears had made the mighty canyon. 1t
was filed with huge bOuders, strewn and
tnmbled about in chaotic confusion, as il
a stream OF rocks had done the work, and
water was altogether secondary con-
federation. The rocks had been polished
by the rush and spray Of years, and to
bound from one TO another without slip
pIug or falling required no little skill
As ] was about TO take a leap and had my
gun well in hand as a help my cOmpan-
ion seized me, and in an excited whisper
told me to look.
"a rattlesnake?" asked, hauling back
and sitting down heavily.
CURIOUS CHANGEABLE TOAD.
''No," was the reply, given in such a
manner that became convinced that he
saw either a grizzly or a mountain lion.
ssDon't move," and reaching around he
hauled out, not weapon, but pocket
microscope, with which great caution he
applied to a small bump on boulder be-
fore him.
ssIs that what you are breaking a man
all up FORT" said l, as the bump became
frog.
SIS that all ?'' retorted my friend 'sWby,
man, that frog or tree toad, / am con-
WINGED, is a new species. If / should de-
scribe it as Hyla Jonesii you might per-
haps think 1t of some Importance. Why,
look at i'll It's one of the most remarks
bic examples Of protective resemblance
you ever saw"
A close examination Of the diminutive
cause of all iris excitement showed that
IL was indeed wonderfully protected, and
] had almost stepped upon the animal
that, safe In its Disguise, had not moved.
AT a casual glance the toad would have
been taken for prominence on the b0ul-
der, and now that attention was directed
toward it the mimicry seemed all the
more striking, as the animal almost ex-
actly resembled the stone in color. The
~ n "a fp
the mountains here, the spots being quite
large and pronounced and Of irregular
shape, evidently deposits OF dark mica,
the remainder of the rock being white or
nearly so. This notified surface was re-
produced on the toad's back as il painted,
ard even the delicate legs, with their
disc-tipped toes, shared the ornamental
ton,
1--WE seen green tree toads on green
leaves" said my companion, SHUT this
beats them all. 1t is evidently a tree toad
adapted to life among the bOulders of
this stream. Now to show you the perfec-
tion Of this protection will start it up and
see what the result Will be-"
The toad was forth with touched with a |
tWig and with a mighty leap landed upon |
rock that was nearly white, round and |
smooth. = We sat down upon neighbor- |
ing boulder and waited for the change /
that nature was TO make in the little har-
lequin. In five minutes by the watch this |
had takon place. The black spots that |
had represented the mica were rapidly |
fading out, the other portions also losing |
their dark tinS Quickly the change went
on, and in a comparatively short !
time the spotted toad was
of almost the exact hue as Its |
new base and as inconspicuOus as it had |
been before, and would. as in the former |
case, have been passed by as a mere prom
inence upon the rock, Another touch, !
aud the little creature sprsng upon anoth- |
er boulder, from which 1t was finally driv- |
en- upon one almost black. Again the Gu |
riOus change was noticed. dark patches |
coming out and the skin assuming the |
same tint as it had while on the granite. |
The spots continued to grow, increasing
their diameter until at last they all fused
together and the toad becamea almost black |
and equally as incOnspicuOus as before /
In an attempt to drive it upon an alder it
hnally escaped.
HOW IT Is DONE.
81 have no doubt" said the lizard
hunter, shat it would adapt Itself to
changes Of color equally well. How is Il
uoneY Well, there are different opinions.
The method is found in a large variety OF
animals, especially lizards, though fishes
have 1t to certain extent. The skin of
animals contains pigment and the cells
4AC iholG VI ANsb uuQcI AuG CONTROL OF the
nerves, so to speak. That is, under GER
tain conditions some cells expand, while
those containing pigment of another
color contract, and thus il pigment cells
are arranged in the skin in layers YOU can
easily see how certain changes take place.
You must bear In mind, however, that
these changes are intuitiYe on the part of
the animal; it cannot help il. 1t does
not deliberately hop on to a white stone
when black, and comfort itself in any way
20 produce change, yet the eye is really
the medium, and the secret is, according
70 my ideas-and they are not mine ex-
cluelVely-that the cells are extremely
sensitive TO variations OF color. Thus
when the toad leaps from a black sur
face 10 white the change is observed by
che eye, transmitted 10 the brain, and by
the sensitive nerves, 10 the cells, produc-
ing the change. Our common anolls will
assume almost any tint Of green or brown
and variety OF other shades. That the
eye Is the medium OF change IL very east
ly shown, and has been demonstrated by
experiment. II you should destroy the
eye Of this toad IL would leap from rock Ia
rock without any peroeptible change. and
the experiment has been tried on a fisb bv
seyering the sensitive nerves, by which
stripes or spots were produced at will by
the experimenter.