, 1890-10-31
HORNED ToADS AS PETS.
THE RsPuLsIvE REPTILES ARE VERY
POPULAR IN THE WEST.


Thsy Can ne Tanned and Anord Much
Amusement-They Are Real Interest
lag Creatures-RemArks by = Dealer
who Sells Many of Them Annually.
-Of all the curious objects for pets, I"
said the cudo man, II think that the
horned toad viii take the palm"
Are they popular IS domestic ami.
mRlsy' asked the one to whom this re-
mark was offered.
y guess you'd think so II you knew
how many we sell In the course of the
year, to say nothing Of all those that are
caught on the spot and carried home in
triumph by those who fancy such
things
who doesg- asked the reporter.
We'll children are very fond Of them.
They seem TO think that it's no end Of
fun 10 SEQ them run around. eat flies.
and burTow themselves deep in the
sand
How are they treated when in up
tivityy
Pretty much US we treat them. !
suppose. You can see for yourself, " said
the curio man. leading the way to one
side Of his crowded store, where In a
great. round. deep glass tank were hslf
a dozen or more Of the funny littls fel.
lows sprawled out upon their sandy do
main One seemed asleep, the others
were moving with more or less degree Of
animation.
One was trying to mount an elevation
furnished by the pack OF a comrade,
and having attained that height the
rogue balanced himself upon his hind
legs and tried to climb up the CLASSY
sides of the tank. But in this he was
not successful. and after slipping back u
most d~iscouraging number Of times he
gave II up rs u bad job. Two others
seemed to DO assuming a belligerent at
titude, to which the owner at once called
the attention Of his visitor.
THEY QUEER PITS
do you see that" said he. .'Some Of
those fellows are the greatest fighters
Imaginable They take a dislike to each
other, and never rest until they have
fought it out to the death. The old one
there is especially vicious.
These horned toads are TO be found
in sandy wastes. / have heard OF their
being caught out at the Mission, but Of
AAhs a GAh nBtaA RCnA0NSys ntnC LtIt
came from Anzona. although we have
received them from much nearer home.
AT RedlRnds the boys catch ever so
many, and the Chinese eat them. They
Just skin off that coat OF mail and eat
the inside. Besides. they highly prize
the oil, which is contained in a little
pouch somewhere within tine anatomy
of a horned cad
The toads are shipped to us by ex-
press in boxes. sometimes rs many as
twenty or more in the same box. and by
the time they are released from their
confinement they are all wound togeth-
er, until they look like a writhing. AMI
mated mass Of wriggling legs and
squirming tails.
As soon as they seem to consider II a
safe thing TO dothey unlock their travel
ing grip and begin to look about. Then
/ sell them They bring from four TO
six bits. How long do they liver Oh
| don't know. have known them to
live three or sir months in perfect
health. and with every prospect OF con
tinuing in that state, when they were
brought TO an untimely end by being
stepped oil. II there is one thing above
another that a horned toad cannot stand
it's being stepped on. 1t seems TO fiatten
him out, as IL were-T
Aren't you becoming very facetiousg"
asked the reporter.
Not at all; that is the usual fate OF a
pet horned toad, You see. they are
great travellers and like to keep running
about. Nearly everybody who has a
horned toad thinks it is so cute to see
him try TO climb up nj of his box. and
the first thing you know no has s1c,
ceeded in getting out OF his box and Is
running about on his own hook"
HOW TO KEEP THEH.
Can they be tamedI Do they seem TO
know one human being above another
were the next questions.
Those who buy them maintain that
they do. Why, / sold one 10 a lady who
lived at the Palace hotel, and she al
lowed him the freedom of her apartments
when she went out, and she told me that
ON her return he would run 10 meet her.
no matter where he had hidden himself
He was finally stepped on. Another, a
dear old lady, said that her g~randchil
dren made fun of her, and declared she
thought the horned toad scratched his
toes on the floor in p o to her CHR
rup, but she said he really did not go
quite so far as that, although he was
very knowing.
what do they live on7 Oh. on flies
and insects. lhave known them. though,
to go for a month without eating my
thing. There is this that must be re-
membered If you wish to keep your toad
=hve-give him plenty of sun The best
house for him is a fish globe filled with
N deep bed OF nice clean sand. Set this
in the sun, and throw in some live flies
now and then, and Mr.. Toad will thrive.
II he wants the flies he'll catch then
and devour them quicker than n wink
II he doesn't do so you msy know it's be.
cause he's not hungry.
And 1 must not forget either 10 tell
you that while they are perfectly harm
less they get themselves into towering
rage@. 1t makes them mad to be tickled
under the chin They like to DO smoothly
stroked down the back. If you poke
him on the side he will bend way dowr
Ms II in response to your touch." -Sar
Francisco Call
A Brain Disturber.
A Eeosha county farmer sent thii
mixed order TO a Chanute merchant