The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-08

Also Some Accounts of the Vinagroom AT
the Grass- Eating Turtle.

Also Some Accounts of the vinagroom and
the Grass Eating Turtle.
San Francisco Examiner.
G. w. Dunn, the queer old white-haired nat
nralist, whose rooms at the American Exchange
Hotel form the oldest museum of animal life
perhaps on the continent leaves in day or two
for Cape St Lucas to gather together line OF
animal life hitherto unknown to scientists
Hundreds of people have in the last few weeks
called and peeped into the old naturalist's
strange collection There the most horrible
reptiles, tarantulas, poisonous scorpions and the
most deadly insects from tho burning chimes OF
the South are to be found.
''Since the world began" said the gray
haired enthusiast last night 'sthere hasn't been
but one naturalist at Cape St Lucas. and that
was thirty years ago. It is new land. but
know there are some strange things to begot
down there that will startle the scientists
For twenty years have been travelling up and
down the country, across the plains and in the
mountains, getting these strange specimens OF
animal life. And among the most interesting in
my experience is the ella monster. And even
to this day. many people do not know there is
such thing a ella monster. And
yet, throughout the Colorado desart, especially
along the Gila river, you may encounter
thousands. On the contrary, too. may
scarcely see one The ella monstert Heloderma
horidiuml is almost as thick as your leg and
about eighteen or twenty inches long It has
head which is pretty near all mouth. and open
clear back to it's ears. The head is about big
half of a cigar box set with little, vicious
eyes. and the mouth is powerfully muscled and
set with four sharp fangs and lot of grinders
brown spots. 1t has blunt tail,
nearly all poisonous lizards have.
| found these monsters living. in the
hot sand. They good to fool with, and
who is in the ella monster business must
know what he is about One day last June
pulled up from the hot desert to a little ranch
on the Colorado river. TIE man who owned tho
place had pet ella monster which be kept in
barrel He stopped down to get him ont s,
show him to me and some friends OF his vi
were there. and the monster shut down on rs
thumb. He eripped it so tight in his awful mouFa,
which like wise, that mis- jaws had
b@ 2ried open with an iron bar. The man onls
i led a few hours and died in terro ole spasms.
Another man bitten while l was down there has
ever since beer paralyzed In the side Hardly
anybody eyer gets over a bite from this terrible
animal Now a tarantula makes bad sore bat
it doesn't kill q man l have got awake fire.
quently in the morning. while camping out. and
found tarantulas curled up on the edge OF my
blanket. They do that to keep warm, but il
you are careful about disturbing them they
won't bite you.
"The horrible reptile called the vinagroom by
the Mexicans, and meaning smelling like vim
egar' ranks next to the Gila monster in vicious
and poisonous characteristics. The vinagroom
(thelepholus excubiter) is found in the Organ
mo tains. There is nothing like it but itself
It is kind of compound scorpion, lobster aud
three or four kindred animals. 1t is four or five
inches long, with long, stout claws, and is of a
mottled-brown color.
Talking about strange features of animal
life. we have on the Mojave desert a turtle that
eats grass. It lives in holes in the sand, which
1t makes to escape the intense heat of the sun.
You may take stick and get them out They
are the xerobates Agassizi just lately named
for the great naturalist. very pretty turtle.
that gets on good feeding to be about ten
inches long, and to weigh six to eight
pounds. woman down The desert
last summer where was had eight or ten of
them in open pen, which she was fattening to
eat They ate grass like horses. When these
turtles get fat as they quickly do the grass
they beat all the frogs or roast turkeys you ever
ate. An ordinary one of these turtles is worth
So or S.
Mr.. Dunn has been collecting for the Califor-
mia State University, but for years past he has
travelled thousands of miles for the Smithsonian
and he has also furnished Harvard
and Yale and the older Institutions or Europe
with rare specimens.