, 1891-12-26

LAS A0uVAO NNS
ssOne of the birds remained near the snake
jun ping about and making a great show OF
hostility, but keeping beyond reach all the
time, while the other gathered lunches OF dry
cactus with spines as sharp as needles end
almost as hard, which he dro pped close to the
reptile. This roadrunner was as busy
as the devil in a gale Of wind, and in a few
minutes he had piled a regular little corral OF
cactus spines all around the rattlesnake.
Then the pair of them began to ~tantalize the
snake, and by flying at aim they provoked
himinto striking at them. with results dis
astrous to himself for every time he launched
out he lit into the cactus and got stuck full of
spines.
s"The more he got hurt the madden he
grew and it WASH many minutes before he
was flashing s.about furiously and tangling
himself up with the cactus. The road runners
hoped about in great glee, flew at the snake
and made things hum generally, and occass
sionally one Of them would poke some more
cactus into the reptiles way to add to h is
tribulations. When the rattlesnake had Just
about got crazy and was reckless of his guard
the road runners few up, lowered over him
and darted at him whenever they saw a good
chance to hit him.
"Their sharp bills did great execution, and
it wasn't long before they had the rat tlesnake
laid out as cold as a wedge. They are great
generals, these road runners and they always
get away with the rattle snake. That's why
nobody ever shoots a road runner in CalifOr-
MIA.
''Some of the lizards are funny little chaps
and when you get used to them and forget
their r~eptilian appearance they are pretty
good company. The little fellows about as
long as your finger can be tanned easily, and
there is no end of fun in watching their an
nh ~ - Is---A
are venomous, but that ism true. Let a greaser
tell you it, and everything that crawls is poi
sonOus. If you can once get your hands upon
a lizard without frightening him he instantly
makes friends with you.
THE way to work it is to move your hand
slowly toward the little animal when he is
lying motionless, and touch aim as lightly as
a breath with the tip of your finger. Nine
times out Of ten he will not be there long
enough for you to know that you. have
touched him. He is as quick as a fash
of light, and you can't see him 'go-
you only know that he is gone. But one
time he will let you touch him, if you are
gentle enough, and then you lightly rub his .
back and he begins to wriggle his tail In de-
light.
"After that he is your friend, and will take
flies from the end of your finger, run around
over your clothing and explore your pockets,
and when you eat he will climb upon your leg,
cock his little head on one side, and watch you
with friendly interest. There is a little lizard
no bigger around than q lead pencil, with q
long slim tail as blue as cobalt and smooth
as enamel. You can't tame him very easily,
andif you try to catch HIM the blue tail breaks
off like glass; and remains in your hand.
"There are other creatures not quite so
'clubable' as lizards and road runners, but
interesting in other ways. Take the scorpion
for example. He is a bad fellow, and he has
a mean trick of hiding in your boots and stlng-
ing you when you put them on. But you can
have fun with him after a fashion. If you
want to brn : out the best qualities Of the
scorpion build a little corral of dry leaves or
paper around him and set fire to it at all
points. Make the circle about a foot in dia-
meter so that the flames will not touch your
prisoner.
'sWhen he sees the ring of fire the scor-
pion will try to escape, first at one point,
and then at another, but the flames will
drive him back every time, and when he re-
Allies that he is completely surrounded he
will retreat to the center of the ring and de-
liberately commit suicide by curling his tail
over and singing himself in the back. So
you see that nature sanctions suicide under
some circumstances in spite of what the
preachers say about it. The SEQ rpion teach
90 a lesson that a man had better remember