News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-12-13
QUEER REPTILES.
A Naturalists Strange Captures in
Lower California

| G. W. Dunn, the white haired natur-
allst, who has for AZ years been travelling
| up and down the Pacific coast cole ting
strange and rare specimens, got home
| yesterday after long jaunt. He brought
great pile of boxes with him and long
bottles filled with queer-looking insects
and reptiles.
81 got him this time" said the old
gentleman to an Eraminer representa-
tive. 81 knew should. I thought [
might have hard time, but knew that
l would succeed, and l have" And he
held up the oldest of oil the odd things
In the heterogeneous collection. 1t was
terrible member of the lizard tribe
called the man eater. 1t was Is inches
long, mottled in yellow and brown, and
the body, which was lizard like, was
Ioined in sections. This is the poison
GUS reptile which the Indians stand SO
much in fear of, and whose bite is sure
death. 1t had rows of sharp-pointed,
wicked looking teeth and vicious little
black eyes that winked and blinked sig
nificantly as the old naturalist handled
him carefully with some long wooden
tweezers.
''Ihere are many curious things about
this reptile" he said. "You have to be
very careful how you take hold of him,
not only because he nay bite you, but
because he is as brittle as glass, and is
liable to go all to pieces. It is not often
that of this rare reptile you ever get a
perfect specimen. I have succeeded,
however, and very glad am of it, too.
l got this fellow about so miles above
the Gulf, in Lower California. The
man-eater is so called because he always
comes right at you with his mouth open.
They are usually found in dark, brushy
places, right after the first rains. 1t was
under just such circumstances that [
found this one. Among over 10000
various specimens that got this trip,
he is one of the most unique.
81 got about dozen tarantulas of O
new and novel breed, and q half dozen
new ctleopterous, that have never before
been known to exist. They are called
coleopterous because they are hard,
horned-wing insect. I also got some
new aud strange scorpions. / turned
over one stick and found 5, and under
one log which turned over got 81 of
the curious bugs called Cychrus pune
tatis, worth rs cents apiece, so 1 had
$l5.75 worth of bugs right there. An
other day went out and got 120 of the
black asida, for which got 25 cents
each, or $50. All in all, made about
$3.50 month clear of expenses.
"Ihat region is new and has whole
lot of strange things in it that such ma
turallsts as Woods and Agassiz knew
nothing about. L went to San Bernar-
dino and then across the mountain to
Julian, about 60 miles east of San Diego.
There l got team and wagon from an
i i e
drove down Families mountains. 1t was
in this wild region, as yet uninhabited
except by Indians of the Cocopah tribe
and a few Mexicans. 1 was afraid they
would steal my horses and slept every
night close to them. was completely
alone and had to look out
Gone night as. l was camped in
wild place, among struggling scrub oaks
and greasewood in the Tantilla noun
hinge bulldog Went hobbf1na IN and out.
twisting its head and shifting around. 1t
[ saw him, that sure enough it was
bulldog. / got my Winchester out of
the wagon and let go at him any way.
What do you think l got2 1t was as big
q mountain lion as ever you saw and
this is his hide
The skin was exhibited. 1t showed
that the lion must have been fully seven
feet long and of great size every way.
"He weighed with the skin off" said he,
'14O pounds. He had shifted the bacon
Twas cooking for supper, and had count
ed on invading my camp for square
meal. I count myself particularly ly lucky
that I saw him, for had I lain down to
sleep and this fellow been very hungry
it is possible that he would have tackled
me- "-Snn Francisco Examiner