The Red Cloud chief., 1893-10-06
AN UGLY CREAJRE.
The Venomous ella lnster Of
Arizona.
Although Many Fabulous sto, Are Told
About the Strange I,eptiIt Is In
Reality Very Fierce u
Deadly.

The gila monster Is n rifle CO.
corning which much has be said AMI
lots of little stories have be written,
but its habits, neverthclc, arc not
well known, even where 1t most fire.
qucntly found. IL was no ,common
sight in former years, sa! the San
Francisco Chronicle, TO SC Mexican
and Indian boys trailing Il hidcous
things at the ends of stringslong tho
streets of towns and scttlients of
Arizona, taking care alwat to keep
their bare feet out of the ~ Of the
uncanny-looking lizard. Snetimcs,
too, gila monsters, strapped n board
like plankcd shad, would b offered
for sale Mt prices ranging from medic
to n toston fifty c%cnts), wi few or
no buyers. In the event thu nobody
wanted to increase his menagie with
n of the wicked-looking casts, IL
was generally stoned TO deh by its
owners as n protest against i'gencral
usclessncss.
Several years ago gila mo,ters be-
came somewhat in demand f. eastern
collectors. and stuffed or in Inc flesh
they command better prices nv large
specimens, presumably waited for
geological gardens, being pal for ut
good figures. Strangely enoul, since
the interest in the reptile has rown 1t
has become somewhat scarce. In fact,
the capture Of one and its t,nsition
to n wire rat trap in the shop / u taxi
dcrmist in an Arizona town ilconsid-
cred worthy of an item by hcbcal re-
porter. No sooner has the new Of the
distinguished arrival been braided
than 1t is gravely inspected \ every
tendcrfoot in town, who pcscrs its
owner with SO many darn fod' ques-
tions that he Is glad to hiddhis nc
QUESTION in the back yard.
Most of the fabulous storia circu-
lated about the gila monster hive had
their origin in the minds of til curio
sellers, who were thus bored b death
by the seeker after information who
was not willing to buy something and
thus recoup the business man for his
loss of time and the ennui that an
swering greenhorns produced
Whatever may have been sid about
the looks of the gila monstdr, 1t is a
fact that it is n repulsive, crawling, un-
canny reptile, perhaps not 50 ugly as
many another lizard-the iaiana, for
i~nstance-but %instinctivcly ,bhorred
because il is so slow. Flight being n
matter Of impossibility with the gila
monster, and us IL lacks the cunning to
feign death, 1t must necessarily as.
sumo q bold front when threatened
with capture or injury.
The length of tho monsters usually
captured varies from ono foot to two
feet and a few inches, but specimens a
foot and n half in length are those
most generally brought in. OF this the
big, conical tail forms one-third. The
weight will average from three to five
pounds. The head Is more lance,
shaped than that Of any other lizart
found In Arizona, the consequence be
ing that the narrow neck is very pro
nounced and imparts to the head
while it moves something very much
like the r~attlesnake's performance.
When attacked the gila monster re
treats about half his length ant
crouches close to the ground, but rear
ing head and neck in n fierce manner
while a black, forked tongue over M
inch in length, darts swiftly out of {
mouth abnormally wide and cavernous
at the same time it emits a hiss, joint
ly with q crcaking noise, which l!
made by scraping either it's claws
which are pointed and sharp, or thu
rough scales of its body upon the
stones or gravel beneath II. If thi,
demonstration fails to repulsc the ag
grcssor the gila monster will not hest
tate, when thoroughly angcrcd, I,
make n snap Mt the foe, be it man OF
beast. But it will never attack any
thing that II does not require for foot
unless first intcrfered with. IL escap,
be neal in the shape Of u burro in tn,
ground or u hole in the rocks larg,
enough for its acco mmodation, tn,
monster will discreetly retire from
view and remain hidden until tn,
enemy has retired.
II the reptile manages TO get n gril
with its horny mouth, us hard and cut
ting as that Of a swapping turtle an'
filed with sharp nccdle-liko teeth
upon the yielding flesh of an aggrcssor
tho vicc-likc jaws can only DC pric,
apart by great muscular action will
some instrument. Tho wounds show
all tho indication of blood poisoning
by means Of venom, the limbs swell
failure of the nervous system becomes
apparent, and death may cnsuc, unless
prompt medical assistance brings re
lief.
The story that tho bite Of the gil;
monster Is incurnblc Is not true, bu'
help must be obtained quickly, us scv
cral well-authcnticated cases have
proved. C~uriously enough, In the cas-,
of men who have been bitten, 1t wa
found that those who were strictly
temperate recovered far more quickl,
than those who were in the habit o
taking stimulants. 1t turned ont ais,
that, unlike many cases in which bites
had been inflicted by vcnomous snakes
OF the North American species, whisk,
did not act us an antidote at all, rather
a~ggravating the symptoms.
A tayidcrmist Of Tucson who hai