St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-07
THE CHA RIVER LIZARD.
Horrible Fate of a Ranchman,
Bitten by One Of These Strange

Monsters.
San Francisco Examiner.
e. W. Dunn, the queer old white.
haired naturalist 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 to-
gether 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, taran-
tulaS, poisonous scorpions and the
climes of the South are to be found.
''Since the world began" said the
gray-haired enthusiast last night, "there
hasn't been but one naturalist at Cape
st. Lucas, and that was thirty years
ago. 1t is new land, but 1 know
there are some strange things to
be got down there that will Startle even
the scientists. For twenty years | have
been travelling up and down the coun-
try, across the deserts and in the noun
tains, getting these strangest speci-
mems of animal life. And among the
oldest in all my experience is the ella
monster. And yet, throughout the Colo
RADIO desert, especially along the ella
river, you may encounter thous-
andS. On the contrary, too,
you may scarcely see one. The
ella monster. Q1elOderma horidium) is
almost as thick as your leg and about
eighteen or twenty inches long. 1t has
head which is pretty nearly all mouth,
and open clear back to its ears. The
head is about as big as half cigar box,
set with little, vicious eyes, and the
mouth is powerfully muscled and set
with four sharp fangs and lot of
grinders. The color of the mon
ster is reddish, with brown spots.
1t has blunt tail, as nearly all
poisonous lizards have. l found
these monsters living in the hot sand.
They are not good to fool with, and a
man who is i'll the ella monster business
must know what he is about. One day
last June [ pulled up from the hot des-
ert to little ranch On the Colorado
river. The man who owned the place
had pet ella monster, which he kept
in barrel. He stopped down to get
him out to show him to me and some
friends of his who were there, and the
monster shut down on his thumb. He
gripped it so tight in his awful
mouth. which was like a wise, that
his jaws had to be pried open with
an iron bar. The man only lived few
hours, and died in terrible spasams.
Another man bitten while was down
there has ever since been paralyzed in
the side. Hardly anybody ever gets
over a bite from this terrible animal.
Now, tarantula makes bad sore, but
it doesn't kill man. Ihave got awake
frequently in the morning, while camp
ing out, and found tarantulaS curIed up
on the edge of my blanket. They do
that to keep warm, but if you are care
full about disturbing them they will not
bite you.
1.-THE horrible reptile called the vim
agrOom by the MeXicans, and mean
ing smelling like vinegar" ranks next
to the ella monster in vicious and pois-
onouS characteristics. This vinagroom
the elepholus excubiter) is found in the
Oregon mountains. There is nothing
like it but itself. 1t is a kind of COM
pound of scorpion, lobster and three or
four kindred animals. 1t is four or
five inches long, with long. stout claws,
and is of a notified brown color"