Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-11-28
POLIT [lfjTNlE DID HIM.
THE CAPTURE OF A LIZARD WITH A
BRITTLE BLUE .All.

The Reptile Was Shy and Difficult to APP
preaeh. but It Fell Victim to the Snake
Hunters Courteous Friend-Capturinga
Prize In Trinidad Gardens.
GIN all my travels after things that
! srawl and creep" said q. X. O'Rellly, the
make hunter, Il have never found any
.,ptile as hard to capture as the big Irin-
| tlad lizard. He's prize when you 40
capture him. Besides being very beanti-
! ful he is unique, as far as know, for
never found any lizard like him anywnere
else than on the island of Trinidad. In
length he is about Is inches and is brown
In color, with beautiful leopard spots.
But his tail is his chief point of beauty.
1t is a MAGNIFICENT iridescent blue, such
hue as YOU find nowhere else in nature
that I know of except in the Brazilian
SIM butterfly. whose azure wings reflect
the light like polished steel. This tail is
as brittle as it is beautiful, and when the
eptile is dug out of his hole the tail is in
,ariably broken in the capture. Several
lizards thus taken were sent to me, but
not one of them was intact.
1.-The first capture ever made OF one
of these fellows was achieved by the ex-
ercise of the most ceremonious politeness
mot on my part, but on the part or a
friend who was my unconscious assistant
I'm the capture 1t was in the Royal Bo-
tauical gardens of Trinidad, just outside
the city Part of the gardens is quite
wild, and in this part several of the big
lizards had taken up their abode.
lone fine sunny day Assistant Botanist
Broadway and J. H. Hart fellow of the
Linnnan society, and l were out walking,
/, as usual carrying my long snake stick,
o 6 foot rod with bend at one end. In
the midst of the least frequented spot in
the gardens we saw a splendid big lizard
basking in the sun on big open space.
He was probably 90 yards from his hole,
and we were farther from him than that.
To try to catch him by dash would be
foolish, for he would be at his hole long
before the swiftest runner could overtake
him. These fellows travel faster than any
other creeping or crawling thing know
of. My two companions and l halted and
looked at the lizard. He had seen us and
turned his head in our direction.
I'D like to get that fellow said /.
"'First catch your lizard, remarked
Broadway, making imaginary quotation
marks in the air with his forefinger. Or
catch the tail, which will do just as we'll.
You won't get them both together.
"'Yes, WILL said 1, If you fellows
help me-, for an idea had struck me, and
determined to put it into execution.
''They agreed to do anything they could,
adding some skeptical sarcastic side re-
marks. All this time the lizard had kept
his eyes fixed on us. Apparently he was
satisfied that as long as we moved no
nearer he was all right. proceeded to
arrange my plan of campaign, giving or
ders to my two companions. Only one CT
them was needful to carry out my scheme,
so sent Broadway to climb a tree, where
he could be out of the way, and then said
to my other companion:
Now, Hart, you've got a reputation
here for being polite, so l hear. want
you to get together all tho courtesy there
is in you and display it for the benefit of
that lizard just suppose the animal TO
be the queen of England and your biggest
creditor and the only girl you ever loved
all in one and address it accordingly.
What particularly want from you is ac-
ton, however, a sort of minuet perform
ance, bows and scrapes and flourishes.
"'O'Rcilly,' said Fart, eying me dis
trustfully, either you're trying to make
guy of me or you re more of a blathering
idiot than / ever took you for and that's
useless.
"'You can revile mo all you want to,
said l. only be courteous to the gentleman
with the sky blue tail over yonder, and
now begin I'm going to start
Then began the most beautiful exhibit
ton of gallantry that have ever witness
ed Hart began by taking off his hat and
making low bow to the lizard. He as
Burcd the beast that he had no intention
of intruding on its after dinner sicsta
ibow and scrape), but that the fame of
the beauty of its iridescent tail (hand on
heart and another bow had drawn him
hithcr to observe a spectacle of magniii
cence such as never before had gladdcned
his eyes (threc dance steps, two waves of
tire hat and profound obeisancc) For five
minutes he went on giving the lizard
taffy, and could hear Broadway cackling
from his perch in the tree like a whole
flock of chickens. But you never saw
anything so pleased as that lizard. The
whcle) performance just took him by
storm. He was immensely interested and
amused and fattered. Here was a very
large two legged animal capering before
him in the most entertaining fashion and
making queer noises of a not unpleasant
nature entirely for his benefit and all the
time having the good taste to keep at
proper and respectful distance What
more could lizard expect than to have
amusement furnished him at his own
home? He cooked his head first on one
side and then on the other He blinked
his eyes and gently waved his tail. A
more contented lizard couldn't be found
in all Trinidad.
''While ths performance was going on
had made dIour and was nearing spot
where WOULD be between the quarry and
his hole. The lizard was too much attract
ed by Hart's continuous performance to
pay any attention to me, and presently
found myself within few yards of him
and just befl,. d him. About this time l
noticed that Hart's language bad altered
for the worse. His stock of compliments
had been exhausted, and though his de-
pertinent was as ceremonious, his gestures
as graceful and his voice as soft as before
the language he used comported Ill with