The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-18
SOME ARIZONA REPTILES.
TEvEMoUs CREATURES As SEEN At
VERY CLOSE RANGE.
a killing brought About by = Tnrnntuia-A
Gasp Huvndcd by Centipedes and Other
= RcptiIes-A R1anta Awakening with n Rat
t~IeAhnlke' in IaIa Mnnd-The Gila' Mopnter.

- ANAAhAA ANeb
Gasp Iuvnded by Centipedes ana other
ReptiIes-A RiantA Awakening with n Rat.
tleahaEo In Eia nnnd-The ella Monster.
Hes an independent sort of fellow, the taran.
tula. " said q mining engineer who resided for
several years In Arizona. Hos an wkward
walker, sometimes sprawling like n crab, and
again lifting himself stifiy upright on his long,
hniry logs. so that he suggests tho idea that he
is walking on stills. He can run fast on occa-
sion; but, whatever style Of getting along no
may adopt at any time, there Is always y
dovil-may.caro swaggcr to his gait, which says
rs plainly ns words could: I'm a fighter, md
dangerous, and l know It; and you know II.
Don't pick me up; and give me ROOM The best
looking feature about the tarantula is his furry
back, varying from light brown to dark brown
in hue, and sleek and glossy. His eye is bad,
very bad, underscored as 1t is by the two curved.
black poison fangs as sharp as cambria needles.
The tarnntula's temper is as bad as his eye and
II needs hs sns, p u ti1n he d TO so5 h am nshyiiRT
which makcs him tho most dangerous of all tho
Arizona reptlles. I have seen a tarantuln in q
mans breast. which Is a longer striking roach
than the largest Western rattiesnake has.
like other reptiles in general. retreat from the
presence OF man. Most of the cases where per-
sons have been bitten by tarsntulas have oe,
one where he thought no had no chance to run;
and q frequent cause for such q mishap is the
tS,,' tSTo Sysr % out Of Stt'Gpf hand %P0 IN 8 sleep eerH in the d. II
rection where one may be. when instantly the
terrifying. His bite is as dangerous as the rat
tlesnake,s, and the approved treatment Tor It Is
any reptile rarely proves fatal to a healthy
man, though often recovery is slow and attended
driven from the tent one night by tarantuias,
in and took possession. None Of them offersd
to attack any OF us. but there they were on the
ground. and bedding, and tent walls, and they
take the risk OF trying to sleep in such company;
went out OF doors to sleep under the stars while
the tarantulas kept the tent. In the morning
round.up OF tnrantnias, moi one Of the big spiders
One q the quickest and eompletest and most
justitiable killings that ever | saw came about
through a tarantula- 1t was at a mine camp,
and the camp bully had a tarantula imgaled on
stood gazing, fascinated with horror. at the
squirming reptile. working It's black fangs In
the sffq intd to Fs sSdd sS%s'n MiEsh s%a' " M sGn N ss' tse
bully thrust the tarantula straight into the ten
derfoot,s face. His whiskers saved him from the
f fang; but Ss,b ho l Sit,s out a .n xrll as il ss had Sas se.
l. fully believe. ten feet. Then. as
him again. the tenderfoct drew his revolver and
turned loose on his tormentor. His first shot
tSpoas hH tSe o fslIoS Snoq BODY. as but it t Isn ton stFa1s6s
had his excitement to work of. and he never
stopped shooting until his revolver had boon
emptied and the man with tho tarantula was Q
sieve. Served him right was the verdict OF
the Go son jury and the case never went to
THE tarantpla's nest is a curiosity. It's in.
terror is OF mud. dried by tho sun to the hard;
Shape e. is sn Inca With Wits a fi lee ," shife sSbsiance ike
cottonwood. and this queer house Is furnished
with a circular door ofhardened mud. also lined
with the cotton like material and opening out,
ward upon a hinge of the same material. Bold
as the ,tarantpla is; he has one enemy from
he can-the tarantula hawk. a huge black
when t The big ' sSiser 81 OPENS q hi. f'SSt doF Of ts am sfssa
noon preparatory to a promenade. on bushes.
or pleasure bent. II he spy a tarantIla hawi
will he venture. beyond his Threshold until thu
n no m rs aIis f feGI the sssRhs s% VI (Which Msieh viii iii t Jackie n him n
too quick II once he gets the chance: !,
the crawling centipede. built somewhat on the
enhance, by the reptiles habit OF runninf
Every joint OF its long body has two legs, eaci
jointed and tipped with a sharp point like a bee.
like poison fangs. which work horizontally
toward ench. other. and instead OF legs its rear
1lsM,, 'o WITCH X t d4aa Sshi Miih a two the long sen hGpeds
walks. and by which it can hang head down
ward from any place to which It can FIX them
from the presence of man, and most Of the case,
! where men have been bitten by one o.
mans rolling upon them or in Some other wa!
crowding them while asleep. The sensation
Br9d9 asfd by q ,f ssp nn%stos. e anS kesn, upon ooin tsf
feet, is usually described as similar. to that Of
being touched, with a red.hot poker. Il the per
son thus invaded remain perfectly still. the rep
tile will crawl of as soon ms II can; II an at
tempt be made to shake It of. it sets every CLAW
effect like the simultaneous singing by q score
OF bees, and II In any way 1t be crowded OF
33SonRs les. !. vi p1,esi 'n rhsn tSat 2 Of p the tar MnnSh
or raftlesnakc. causes a serious sloughing from
the wound during the progress OF recovery.
several weeks on a little eminence by the 6ant
of the Rio Benito. our camp was oyerrun b,
ground and shelter OF the tents by heavy rains
which at periods flooded the level plain that laS
on IN. three ma.; sides ns% of the camp amp d The . Sss55tip9T4 ed IN Yer :
blanket or garment from tho ground in a tent
was almost sure to reveal one Of these ugly
Of our party was engaged in making a natnre
history collection. so instead OF killing outrish'
captured hin. alive. TO get his body fast be
tween a pair q pinccrs made by tying two s stiGk.
dificnity. BY this time the alcohol Jar woglt
have been fetched TO the spot. u was a wide
hputu III y a ooOh' = ~ ~ MS
while tho average length Of the centipedc, wa
six inches. into this jar. filed with alcohol an,
chloroforn. tho centipede wasdropped head first
In every case, he would go down as straight as
plummet to the bottom. there to turn upwart
and come as straight IN out of and over tn
mouth Of the jar. Caught and dropped In a sec
ond time. he always remained, and his struggle
were over very quickly, ! don't know how man:
OF these reptiles our natural historian accumu
lated during our stay at this place. but the mum
Der must have been considerable:
$50 great was the annoyance from centpede
at tn 8 camp that I have seen an old.timer tax
his blankets and go out on the open prairie t
pass the night in a pouring rain, with two inche
OF water on the ground. rather than stay in tn
tent. This state Of things lasted for the two o
three weeks we were at this place; there ha
been no counterpart to It IN all my experience
Yet although centipedes In several instance
crawicd upon the bodies and even the faces o
1.-The rattlesnake. owing to the danger sigma
which he sounds at the approach OF man. is les
dreaded in the Southwest than the tarantula o
ccntipede, But when sleeping, particularly 4
springs his rattle. and then he strikes instantly
without warning. In cool nights he sometime
seeks the warmth of q campers blankets, as
friend of mine found one night In the lower GIL