The San Saba weekly news. (San Saba, Tex.) 18??-1???, 1891-08-21
A CALIFORNIA LIAR
CURIOUS LITTLE ANIMALsV
ODD POWERS.
Disappearing Before Your Eyes SINH
by Changing COlor-The Angry
Toad Threw Colored Liquid
From HIS Eyes. u

Among tho curious objects the re-
conner finds in California, SAYS the s.
Francisco Chronicle. is the horn.
toad. though why it is called a toa
being Il lizard. is difficult to tell. II
little, fat. horny. somewhat feroeiou
looking creature comes into view 1
it scurries across the dusty walk an
surprises one by its mysterious disa
pearance where there is apparent
little or no cover In reality, II
little animal is very conspicuous, b
ing covered with what appears to I
an armament of spines and with i
odd horned head, uncanny eyes. shar
claws ana fiat body well calculated
impress the stranger.
In the southern part OF the state til
little lizard is very common, and
the warm days OF summer is to be see
frequently in The lleld1 and garden!
It's singular faculty of escaping obsei
walton viii soon excite the interest 4
the observer. Now it is plainly VII
ible "a second later and it has disa,
peared almost before ones very eyes
This is due 10 the very fact that tn
horned toad has the power of nssunt
ing TO a greater or less extent the ger
eral color Of its surroundings. Thusf
when on white or grayish sandy sol
it so closely resembles it that it Is di
flculi to distinguish il. and the aniIna
is not observed until it moves AM
darts away from beneath YOUR fee
This faculty holds among many an
mails and is known of protective re
semblauce, the various forms findin
security in their resemblance in colo
TO the surrounding objects in Othe
words, the animals appear to mimi
other objects, so being protected
Noticing this feature in the horne
toad. l soon had number in an i'm
provised corral. They were periectl
harmless and none Of the numbers
kept ever attempted to bite after tn
manner OF other lizards But man
had a singular habit which was whe
excited or alarmed to eject a thick. red
dish fluid probably blood. from tn ;
eyes with Il force that took efTed'
uDOu my face six or eight inches avail
in one instance. After the dischargI
the eyes appear bloOdshot. The Men
leans are all familiar with this 'spitl
ting from tho eye, and many believl
it to be a yirulent poison. producing
various diseases, but Americans seer
to be exempt rs have been frequent
" bOmbarded by this little creature
One of the most interesting expert
ments with which mused myself wal
to watch the adaptation of color and
tint to their surroundings. l found
that the horned toads in the pen wherI
there was little but white sand werl
light and lacked coloring, while thosI
nearer the foot of the range wherI
there was an abundance Of vegetation
were richly tinted with yellow and
brown. l arranged a number Of littll
enclosures. each with Il bottom or has
of different tint or color and i'll them
placed diyers-hued lizards or horned
toads. IL a very short time a changi
was noticed. The very highly colorei
forms on the white sand seemed TO feel
that they were very conspicuous. an1
gradually they faded out before mi
very eyes. l could not see the changl
take place, yet was sensible that thu
adaptation was going on and that TIL
vivid hues OF the little captive that ha|
so recently shot me were fading away
In n few hours the change was vert
marked, and Pill the lizards had adapt
ed their colois and tints 10 their sur
roundings, so that there were no stronj
contrasts. The lizard on the whit
base was not pure white, but had as
sumed Il very delicate erayish hue. pro
tectiye in every sense. while those OF
the dark backgrounds seemed to hay,
developed patches Of colors al owe
/ their surfaces.
To return 10 our California lizard
we have seen that it IS protected il
/ this way. though the change is slowll
produced. 1t may be noticed anon.
nearly all the tribe. There are. how
ever, lizards in the South and in vari
Gus parts of the world in which tn
protective coloring comes instantane
ously and changes we might say, viii
/ the emotions. Such is the Southern
Anolis or American chameleon, "a long
tailed lizard. Lying on q limb sur
rounded by green it has the same yivii
hue and is perfectly protected, but lie
it change its location and its colo
changes with almost infinite variety
from light 10 dark greens TO brown il
! lighter and darker hues.
OF all the lizards the chameleon
the most remarkable. its changes {
color fairly dazzling the eye and eau.
ing il to be regarded with superstition
awe 10y many natives.