The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-08-11
ARIZONA'S UGLY REPTILE.
HABITS OF THE FIERCE AND uN-
CANNY GILA MONSTER.
It's Bite Is Dangerous, and Men Have
Died From Wounds Inflicted by
lt-Bccoming Scarce.


IIHE Gila monster is reptile
concerning which much has
been said and lots Of little
stories have been written, but
its habits, nevertheless, are not well
known, even where it is most frequent
~ found. It was no uncommon sight
IN former years to see Mexican and In
dian boys trailing the hideous things
at the ends of strings along the streets
OF towns and settlements in Arizona,
taking care always to keep their bare
feet out of the way of the uncanny-
looking lizard. Sometimes, too, Gila
monsters, strapped to board like
planked shad, would be offered for sale
at prices ranging from a medic (5t
cents) to toston fifty cents), with
few or no buyers. In the event that
nobody wanted to increase his menag-
erie with one of the wicked looking
beasts, it was generally stoned to death
by its owners rs II protest against its
general usefulness.
Several years ago Gils monsters be-
came somewhat in demand for Eastern
collectors, and stuffed or in the flesh
they command bettcr prices now,
large specimens, presumably wanted
for geological gardens, being paid for
at good figures Strangely enough,
since the interest in the reptile has
grown it has become somewhat scarce.
Whatever may have been said about
the looks of the Gila monster, it is a
repulsive, crawling, uncanny reptile,
perhaps not so ugly rs many another
ligard-the igunna, for instance-but
hstinctivcly abhorred because it is SO
- slow. Flight beinga matter of impos-
sility with the Gila monster, and as it
lacks the cunning to fcign death, it
must necessarily assume bold front
when threatened with capture or in-
jury, and that it knows how to do in
manner which will make even those
totally ignorant of tho danger they
run careful of too close an approach.
The length of the monsters usually
captured varies from ono foot to two
feet and few inches, but specimens n
foot and half in length are those
most generally brought iu OF this
the big conical tail forms one third
The weight will average from three to
five pounds. The head is moro lance
shaped than that OF any other lizard
found in Arizona, the consequence be-
ing that the narrow neck is very pro-
nounced and imparts to the head
whilc it moves something very much
like the rattlesnnke's performance.
When attacked tho Gila monster re-
reatsabout half it's length and crouches
close to the ground, bat rearing
head and neck in a fierce manner, while
black, forked tongue, over an inch in
length, darts swiftly out of u mouth
abnormally wide and cavcrnous. At
the same time it emits hiss. Jointly
with n creaking noise which is made
by scraping either its claws which are
pointed and sharp, or the rough scales
-s"e.ats- hTa,r .,'raan- the stones or gravel
falls to repulse the aggressor the Gila
monster will not hesitate, when
thoroughly aGSered, to make snap at
the toe, it man or beast But il
VIII never attack anything that it does
not require for food unless first inter-
fered with. If cIcape be near in the
shape of IL burrow in the ground or a
hole III the rocks large enough for its
accommodation, the monster will dis
creetly retire from view and remain
hidden until the enemy has retired.
If the reptile manages to get a grin
with it's horny mouth, rs hard and
cutting rs that of swapping turtle
and filled with sharp, needle-like teeth,
upon the yielding flesh of an agcres.
sor, the vice-like jaws can only b..
prled apart by great muscular action
with some instrument. The wounds
show all the indications Of blood
poisoning by means of venom, thu
limbs swell, failure of tho nsrvOus
EysseIa becomes apparent, and death
-ay er'sue unless prompt Iielioel -
C1asAnss ssvinss relief.
fne story :aa1 tho bite OK she QG;
o"n-se~ "a fssursbls l. 1s<s4 kss, b.
help must be obtained quickly, as
several well ell-authenticatcd cases have
proved. Curiously enough, in the
case of men who have been bitten, it
was found that those who were strictly
temperate recovered fnr more quickly
than those who were in tho habit of
taking stimulants. 1t turned out also
that. unlike many cases in which bites
had been inflicted by venomous snakes
OF the North American Species whisky
dld not act rs an antidote ut all,
rather aggravating the symptoms.
II. IL. Wetmore, taXidermist OF
Tucson, who has dissected many of
these lizards, says he has been unable
to discover, where the venom which
they undoubtedly inject into the
wounds they produce comes from. In
poisonous snakes it exudes from sacs
above the fangs, but in the Gila mon
ster the closest investigation has failed
to show any such glands connected
with the teeth. Undoubtedly it is the
saliva of the monster, lubricating it's
sharp incisors, that produces the
chemical change in the blood For
that reason it is believed that in the
salivary glands the venom will be
found, but that is the extent of what
Is known of the Gila monsters danger.
GUS power.
BY reason OF its slowness the mon
ster's diet is necessarily limited. 1t is
a climber, and rs such has no difficulty
in robbing nests in which there are
eggs or helpless young. 1t will also