The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-18

There's q Man In California Who Thinks
Ips just What Central Park Needs.

| There's n Man In California Who Thinks
Ips just What Central Park Needs.
In the collection OF letters received at the
Mayors office q few days ago was the follow
ing from II. Il. Parcels. who runs the news
etand In the Nadeau Hotel at Los Angeles, Cal. (:
Hon Hugh Grant
DEAR sR wish to write TO you in regard TO a great
curiosity have and you would obge me very much IL
you would turn this letter TO the right parties the
ones that has charge OF tho Zoo Central Park have
avery large specimen OF ella monster (aliyeJ and as
have no place to keept would like to sell It. have
written to all the museums about IL and win sell tho
highest bidder. know there none In museum in
tile u s. so 1t would be great attraction. have 1t in
Ag'AsScovered case there would he no danger in
handIingIt II eats hard boiled eggs, live mice etc
This communication was turned over to the
Mayors private secretary, Judge Holme,
with instructions to find out as early as pos
sible what ella monster is. The letter was
confusing In some respects, Tor after calling
In glass covered case and is fed on eggs and
mice Mr.. Holme reasonably conlectured that
It would take very large case and an ex-
iced IL real monster. close questioning of
all the heads, Of the city departments revealed
y wonderful lot OF Ignorance concerning GiIas
Dnt some newspaper rilpplngS which ac-
companied the letter informed the curious
that the Gill Is a lizard and native OF
which Is the ella River When full grown it
is about q foot in length and Is shaped like
lizard. The head Is long aud blunt, the eyes
are black and rs small as beads. and the tail
which is about six inches long, is tn ok and
heavy. The body is encased in thinly coated
armor marked curiously with yellow and
back spots. one of tho clippings says:
The natives and some ignorant whites sup
pose that its breath Is poisonous. Others
tilink that to have ono touch the DO iy is "a bad
sign. The heloderma is simply a lizard. and
tho only one known that can POISON other ami
mails by s bite; discovery made few
years ago by some naturaiSts who were travel
ling through the country. The story was at
first not believed, but several were sent East.
where the poisonous properties were soon
demonstrated A naturalist Mt the Smithso-
man WAS bitten, tho poison taking effect so
quickly that lie hal barely time 70 call for
help. Small animals soon died after being
bitten, and 1t was shown that human beings,
under certain conditions, might easily die
from the elects OF the bite.
Specimens sent TO Europe were experiment
ed upon by Sir Jonn Lubbock. A frog bitten by
the lizard died In few seconds In convul-
sions. A guinea Iig bitten In the hind leg
passed away in three minutes. and other AMI
mals died equally as luck;
, III the teeth OF the specimen at the Nadeau
house are examined they viii ba found to nave
curious assures and a closer look Will show ut
the base OF the groves small dents from which
the poisonous saliva howI."
II 10 said that the GiiR or hGlodsrmH inficts
death by singing its victim with the sharp
point Of lts tOTked tongue,