The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-10-26
ST. Louis Post Dispatch.

81. Louis Post Dispatch
IN Sixth street bird and animal en-
poriurn an iguana created some excite
ment yesterday afternoon.
the fguana is an exaggerated lizard.
and is found in all parts of South America
and in some sections of the Northern
Continent. He is as ugly as n Third dis
trlct cocaine fiend. There IS a horny ridge
or comb running along his back from be-
tween his hleary. wieked-looking eyes
down TO the beginning of his long whip
like tail. His mouth is eapacious and he
has 'nouchy" throat like toad. His
feet are wehoed and he can climb like
NY He is green OF hue and might be
taken for an overgrown and abnormallv
homely chameleon. Sometimes he grows
10 be five feet long. He is as harmless
and as defenseless as a cockroach and he
hasn't got sense enough to go In out OF
the wet
The bird and animal aealer keeps sup.
ply of iguanas In stock and rents them out
OF sells them TO merchants who wish TO
make bizarre window display or any
one else who has a use for them.
One of those now in stock is fully four
feet long. He and two smaller specimens
were in show window with a heterogen-
eous collection of pigeons rabbits ana
puppies when an angular. middle-aged
woman entered the store. She wanted
some medicine for a sick canary and she
also wanted 10 ask the price of parrots.
The proprietor gave her the bird medi-
cine and was discoursing eioluently upon
the merits of green parrot with a wicked
eye and a fund of profane learning
There was thump OF heavy body fall
ing TO the floor and then the circus was
on.
The big iguana had escaped from the
show window and was crawling along the
door toward the fair customer.
Owoo." screamed the woman. as she
hoisted her skirts and made a rush for
the back OF the store.
The parrots took up the cry and n cou-
pie OF monkeys Clipped in with few
well-chosen observations. The dogs
Joined the chorus. Those in a rear room
VINO couldn't get out nearly went wild
with excitement and the half-dozen or so
that were loafing around the store sour
ried forward to see what the racket was.
The midile-aged lady got tangled In the
chain Of canine enthusiast and fell to
the floor. Her skirts few up and a cage
of guinea pigs fell from a shelf. An ex-
citable English terrier thought the lady
wanted to romp and he vent at her for a
good time. A pugnacious Mexican pup,
with record as n ratter. spied the iru-
ana and assaulted him violently. The
iguana scaled a wall and got out OF reach.
then stopped and blinked his eyes placidly
till the proprietor yanked him down and
threw him back into the show window.
The middle-aged lady had been rescued
from the English terrier and was smooth
ms out the wrinkles in her apparel. The
proprietor tried to apologize TO her. but
she was angry and wouldn't listen. She
ga thered up her parcels and fiounced out
OF the store breathing a threat to appeal
to the police.
"Goily! I'm glad this didn't happen to-
morrow" said the proprietor.
Why" said thu reporter.
We'll have in big batch OF snakes
then. and II they got loose they might
make trouble"
The guinea pigs were restored to their
former elevation, the monkeys relapsed
into silence. the parrots quit talking and
the proprietor took an iguana out of the
window and proceeded to assist IN the
process of shedding which the reptile was
undergoing.
''Ain't his hide nice and green?" said
the dealer These things change color
just like chameleons They are the most
harmless creatures alive. They have no
way in which to hurt anything and they
are as timid abbts. People eat 'em in
South America / don't want 10 tackle
'em that way. but ! guess it's all preju-
dice They live on lettuce and other
green stun and are very cleanly.'