Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-14

A Glass Case Full Of salamanders, Lizards
and Strange Snakes.

ana strange Snakes-
A GLASS CASE FULL OF CURIOUS
"A monsters has been newly set up in the
National Museum. To meet such queer things
alive would make one feel very unpleasant
There are two or three varieties of water
dogs" as they are called in the south, although
in the north they are known as mud puppies"
They are found all over the eastern half Of the
United States and the stories which boys and
fishermen tell Of their ferocious qualities are
simply dreadful Undoubtedly they can bite,
and it is possible that they do sometimes. They
are not true reptiles, but salamanders, which
belong to the batrachians and are related to
the frogs. A point that distinguishes them
from lizards is that they have no scales They
feed upon fishes and aquatic worms. Some
times they grow to be as much as two feet
long. Once in a while one Of them is caught
upon q hook, to the equal establishment Of
itself and its captor
On the same shelf in the glass case are even
bigger "heilbenders." They are more horri-
huge mouths that cape very wide. Strange
stories are told Of their fierceness ALSO although
they are not very well authenticated. They
are most common in the Ohio river, though
they are found elsewhere plentifully. Sala-
manders they are likewise, and they, too, are
fond OF aquatic worms and fishes.
BLACK SIREN.
Another sort Of salamander exhibited ID
called the 'siren" and also belongs to the United
States. 1t is black, about two feet and half
long and looks somewhat like an EEL only that
1t has pair of fore legs Strange to say, it has
no hind legs at all not even rudimentary ones.
1t lives in the water, breathes with gils and
| feeds upon fishes and the larv8 of water in
| sects. The siren lacks the attractiveness
4 9 fOnnd
numerously in the neighborhood Of Washing
| ton and has a reputation for being venomous,
which it does not deserve.
Yet another specimen in the case Is 'glass
snake $50 called because it is not snake at all,
but lizard, having only rudimentary legs,
which do not appear through the skin Its body
and tail seem all one although in reality the
former is very short and the latter very long.
| When the animal Is struck with = stick 1t drops
Its tail, which keeps wrlggling SO as TO dlstrac,
the attention of the enemy, while the creature
| itself glides quietly away and makes its escape
| That Is the curious means OF defense with which
nature has pre- vided it.
There is another kind Of lizard called the
| ''stumptai," because its continuation Is alb
ruptly cut off behind the rear legs. The con-
| formation is SO peculiar as to make the reptile
look as if it had a head at each end. Snake
charmers in India, by the way, have a manner
of mutilating a harmless kind Of snake so as tc
make it appear as if it had a head at each ex-
tremity. With this marvel they excite the
wonder Of spectators. The stumptail is very
hideous indeed, being rather shapeless and
covered all over with unhealthy-looking tuber-
cles. Yet another sample in the case is an Aus
tralian 'noloch'-a gray lizard-covered with
| sharp spines. II looks as il it had a second
head behind its real head. but it hasn't really.
Naturalists call it 'horridus," and no wonder
| WHAT AN IoUANA LOOKS LIKE.
There is also an lguana from South America
1t is black and about three feet in length.
There are many varieties of this beast, some Of
| which grow to be as long man. Certain Of
| these larger kinds live in trees and are very
good to eat. They feed upon insects. fruits
and seeds In the glass case also are two Glls
monsters and many desert lizards OF such spe
cies as are found in Death valley and in thu
| Painted Desert Of Arizona. There are all sort
of snakes, too-yellow coach-whip snakes which
according to the testimony Of darkies in thu
south, have q way of twining themsel yes AROUND
a man and flashing him to death; bull snakes
spotted in black and gray, which below loudly
king snakes. which kill other snakes. par
ticularly rattIers, and coral snakes from Florida
striped in red and yellow bands. These last ar
really very venomous. DR.. SCHNEIDER, artist o
the National Museum, was bitten by specimel
one day while making painting from it. and h'
was made seriously ILL., OF poisonous snakes on
notices that nearly all have arrow-shaped heads
The rattlesnake is good example of this
| When bitten by a snake it is good idea to ex
| anime it, with a view to finding out in this wa,
| whether it is venomous or not. Included ii
the same exhibition are some big boas anC
| other constructors, well as fine collection
| Of land turtles and water tortoises Of all sizes
some Of them with paper shells.