Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-10-10
FIVE FEET OF LIZARD.
Pceu;:@rities OF the Japanese saIansand.
er--Powerful Jaws ofths Reptile.

Pcsu;:arities OF the Japanese saIaaand-
er-Powerful Jaws ofthe Reptile.
Superintendent Ohnimus, OF Wsod-
wards Gardens. a few DAYS ago
shipped away one Of the ugliest and
most repulsive looking object ever at
the gardens or any where else. says
the San Francisco Examiner.
1t was the Japanese salamander.
For six years the reptile has lived in a
pond about four feet in depth, and ex-
cept when the water was drawn off to
TO be replaced by some that was
fresher. has been seen but two or
three times by visitors or any body
else. 1t usually rested on the bottom.
apparently in a dormant shape, or
moving sluggishly about, and lived on
animacule and tadpoles.
The reptile is over FIVE feet in
length, and formed very nguch like an
alligator, with the exception Of the
head, which is broad and rounded,
about twice the size OF a dinner-plate.
At the ends of the short, straight legs
are feet with five fingers, resembling
hands. The leathery skin is of dark
brown color, dotted with yellowish
spots.
Sometimes when the water was
drained of Mr.. 0hnimus would ex-
pertinent with the reptile, and found
that although usually very slow Of
movement when aroused It could
travel like a fash, and the strong.
toothless jaw could snap large,
heavy cane in two as though it were a
match.
Before it was purchased by Mr..
Woodward he secured it for exhibition,
paying $50 a day for three months.
and the salamander was a drawing
card. This specimen is said to be the
third one of the kind ever in captivity
and the largest known. It was cap
tured in one of the interior lakes Of
Japan. the only place where they have
been found.
Comparatively little is known of
the habits of this particular species.
The popular belief has been that the
salamander had not been furnished
with eyes, but a series OF experiments
made with this one by the use of a
powerful lens and other means, demon
strated that it is the possessor of one
pair, but so exceedingly small in size
that it is very difficult to distinguish
them.
1t has nothing in common with the
salamanders OF Pliny, Aristotle and
Dioscorides, to which were attributed
all sorts of malefic powers, such as
being as poisonous as aconite so
venomous that a touch of its saliva
caused the hair TO fall out, and capac-
ity to put out fire merely by walking
through it. Asbestos was formerly
called salamander's hair, and even
Marco Polo insisted that asbestos was
the plumage of the salamander.
The Japanese reptile at all events is
merely a toothless amphibious lizard
OF huge measurements and are rare
thing under the sun.
Baron Henry Won Siebold. secretary
OF the German legation in Japan. is
said to be the purchaser and to have
paid 81, 600 for the creature. 1t was
placed in a long box, and with plen-
tiful supply of wet blankets wrapped
about it, was sent on its voyage to
form an attraction in one OF the larg-
est museums in Germany.
Baron Won Siebold's father, an emil
nent naturalist with a worldwide
fame, was the first TO bring the atten-
ton of the scientific world to the jap
anese salamander. and had the privi-
lege of giving it scientific name that
bears some resemblance to his own.