The weekly examiner., 1891-08-01
SOME QUEER ANIMALS.
THE ,HELLBENDER OR RIVER DOG AND
 THE HORNED RABBIT.

Where They Are Found-The River Dog is the North American salaman- der-Its Curious Habits and Haunts- Horned Rabbits Found in Kansas. "Inoticed in the Times-Star that they caught hellbender down at the city water-works recently" said Charles Dury, the naturalist. You see" he continued, i 'hel1bender is the ordinary, every day name for the river dog which, in 1. the scientific world, is nothing more nor less than the great North American salamander, menoponaG AlLegbGniensis. The slimy creature it's name would seem to indicate, is quite common in the Ohio and it's tributaries, although the one recent ly captured was of large size. once caught a specimen two feet long and have heard of others somewhat longer. They are, of , course, of an amphibious nature, and like 8 turtle or snake, will crawl out upon the river banks and sun themselves on the rocks and sand. During the Summer when the water is warm they are quite active, ! but as the weather changes they become sluggish and stiff, and finally bury them selves under a rock in the mud at the bot tom of the stream and lie dormant until Spring. The specimen taken at the water works must have crawled into the pipes last Summer, and having no place to bury itself, must have lived an uncomfortable life ever since, for the time of awakening has not yet arrived, neither will it for some weeks to come.
 .s The food of this curious animal (which is neither fish nor snake, although strong 1y resembling both) is aquatic plants, earthworms and such fish as it can catch. It's mouth extends like a fish's and will ad- init body almost as large as the animal itself. In this respect the amphibian is 1.-~1 o1z<@rx that often swallow objects whose diameter [ is greater than their own. I once had 8 curious experience with one of the crea- lures that had in a glass case at the ex- position. One evening about four o'clock, noticed that it was about to shed it's skin. i I left a few minutes later and on return ing in the morning found my subject dressed in new covering. As there was no sign of the cast-off coat, and as the case was tightly covered, could draw but one conclusion concerning it, namely, that the animal had devoureG it's own Wornout skin.
 There are two species of these sala- manders in the Ohio. One kind retains the gills of it's youth, while the species mentioned above lose them. The aper- lures for eyes are verygsmall, and in live animal can hardly be distinguished. The :, iris is a light gray color, while the pupil is no larger than the point of pin. The feet and legs are very powerful, and the animal has the faculty of squeezing itself through narrow crevices that seem hard ly large enough to admit even it's bony head, yet it seems to take it's great feshy body, wherever it goes, with perfect ease.
 The report of it's bite being poisonous is erroneous. The animal is very savage and, apparently, would make & gallant fight, but on catching hold of any object, it merely retains it's grip and does no in- jury unless the object is forcibIy with drawn. In such a case 1t would probably strip the skin from mans finger, al- though if held perfectly still a child might place it's hand in the mouth with perfect impunity. II have often placed my own finger in the mouth of a large speci-, men just to see the result, and in no in stance have been injured. The bite is no worse than that of 8 fish, while the horny teeth that line the jaw will hardly produce an abrasion of the skin.
 have often heard of persons while 1 fishing catching these creatures by hook and line. Of course they caused conster- nation on being pulled out of the water, as the unexpected sight of a fish with four legs is enough to startle anyone. They are, despite their tough looking skin, a poor object for a taxidermist to try his skill upon, as the hide soon collapses and becomes about as unsig ghtly as an old shoe. They are as worthless an animal as I know of, and their only value is the scientific one, as they show what horrid, crawling creatures there are in the vicinity of our own homes. Owing to their retiring hab- it's Nand obscure haunts, the manner of breeding is yet matter of conjecture. Some salamanders lay eggs as the turtle and snake, but if thisis true of the river dog, it remains to be proven
 In letter from Eldorado, Kan pr. F. c. Armstrong writes concerning the horned rabbit, which he thinks is new species. He says:
 MT. Will Elicit, a noted crack shot while rabbit hunting on Rock creek one afternoon last winter, killed ten horned rabbits out of thirt y-fve, while a rabbit roundup on Christmas day in another : part of the county killed 48O rabbits-not one showing horns. 1t is said that they 1 are not found in the summer time, but the statement would be hard to verify. All hunting in this country after March 1 is done on the upland prairies, where there are no rabbits but the jack;' besides, after that time the grasses and weeds become so rank in the bottoms that it would be impossible to see them. The horns about the head are mobile. have seen the rab- bit feeding. at which times the horns about the nose move back and forth in the same way as the long hairs in that region. The horns are found anywhere on the rabbit, from the tip of the nose to the tail. There are many theories concerning the origin of the horns, none of which are tenable The horn is based in the cellular tissue under heath the skin. In my opinion the growth Is caused by an occlusion or shutting up of glandular orifiees-the product of the gland accommodating until the skin imme- diately over it is absorbed by the pressure of the tumefaction until the sebaceous matter comes in contact with the air, where it hardens into the horny substance found, it's growth continuing from the con- , tinued secretion from the gland under neath; or they may have the power of growth by secreting their own material and enlarging from a cell growth of the structure itself. It is said by some to be