Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-24
THE TERRIBLE MAN-EATER.
A Reptile as Brittle Glass and Whose
Bite is Sure Death.


q. w. Dunn, the venerable, white
haired naturalist, who has for forty-two
years been travelling up and down the
Pacific coast collecting strange and rare
specimens, got home yesterday, after a
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 San Francisco Examiner
representative. 81 knew | should.
/ thought might have a hard time,
but l knew that would succeed, and
l have
And he held up the oldest of all the
odd things in the heterogeneous COL
lection. 1t was a terrible member of
the lizard tribe called the man-eater
1t was fifteen inches long, notified in
yellow and brown, and the body,
which was lizard-like, was joined in
sections.
This is the poisonous 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 significantly
as the old naturalist handled him
carefully with some long wooden
tweezers.
There are many curious things
about this reptile" said he. You have
to be very careful how you take hold
of him, not only because he may bite
you, but because he is as brittle as
glass, and he is liable to 60 all to
pieces.
at is not often that of this very rare
reptile you ever get perfect speci-
men. | have succeeded, however, and
very glad / am of it, too. l got this
fellow about fifty 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, bushy places right after the
first rains. 1t was under just such Gus
cumstance that found this one
'tAmong over ten thousand various
specimens that l got this trip, he is one
of the most unique.
Il got about a dozen tarantulas of
now new and novel breed, and half
never before been known to exist.
They are called coleopterous because
they are hard, horned-wing insect.
l also got some new and strange
scorpions.
Il turned over one stick and found
five, and under one log which turned
over | got twenty-one of the curious
bugs called cychrus punctatus, worth
rs cents apiece, so l had $3.50 worth
of bugs right there. Another day |
went out and got 120 of the black
asida, for which got 25 cents each,
or $50. All in all, 1 made about $3.50
a month clear of expenses.
"That region is new, and has a
whole lot of strange things in it
that such naturalists as Woods and
Agassiz knew nothing about. | went
to San Bernardino, and then across the
mountains to Julian, about sixty miles
east of San Diego. There l got a
team and wagon from an old ranch
man, friend of mine, and drove
down on the Lower California side to
the Cuimaca and families mountains.
at was in this wild region, as yet
uninhabited, except by Indians of the
Cocopah tribe and a few Mexicans. I
was afraid they would steal my horses
and slept every night close to them. I
was completely alone, and had to look
out.
ION the night of Nov. 1, as | was
camped in wild place among stray
Cling scrub oaks and greaSewood in
the Families mountains, a great big
object looking like huge bulldog
went bohbirg in and out, twisting its
head and shifting around It was just
getting dusk, and l thought, as I saw
him, that sure enough, it was a bull
dog.
Il got my Winchester out of the
wagon and let 90 at him anyway.
What do you think got? 1t was as
big a 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, $40 pounds. He had shifted
the bacon | was cooking for supper,
and had counted on invading my camp
for square meal.
81 count myself particularly lucky
that | saw him, for had laid
down to sleep, and this fellow been
very hungry, it is possible that ne
would have tackled me-"
Mr.. Dunn has his rooms at the
American Exchange SO full of skins
and boxes and bottles, comprising the
curious things in nature, that there is
but little space left for himself. He
will remain here a short time and then
start for Mazatlan, in Sinaloga, where
he will travel up and down the coast all
winter.
Mr.. Dunn has been collecting for
some years past for Heidelberg, Copen-
hagen, Oxford, and other universities,
as well as supplying many strange
specimens for the Smithsonian institu-
ton, and Yale, as we'll as other Ameri-
nan o01leoaS