The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1898-11-03
LOTS OF LIZARDS AND SNAKES.
eaurinns Found I'm Tasmania - The
"Biue-Tongued" Lizard In Conn
bat with n Snake.

We are rich in lizards in Tasmania;
they abound everywhere, summing
themselves on the tree trunks, crawl
ing over the stumps, running about the
garden and occasionally investigating
domestic affairs Of the house. They
are mostly quick, lively little fellows
with brown skins diversified with black,
and eyes as bright as diamonds. Then
there are the "blood-suckers, ashy
gray lizards with irregular black mark
lngs upon the back, and covered with
spiny projections; most people are
rather afraid of them, and they do look
very ferocious when annoyed, for they
open their mouths with cape like
crockodile, as If 1t would give them
great pleasure to swallow us whole,
The death adder" is another lizard
that grows to good size, and is very
prettily marked; it is much dreaded In
the bush for its supposed poisonous
properties, and the most dreadful tales
are told of its envenomed attacks
Probably the idea has arisen through
the snakelike appearance of this sau-
rian as it glides through the herbage,
its body being very long and slender
and the legs comparatively short.
The largest of all our lizards, how.
ever, is the 'blue-tongued," a stout,
formidable looking fellow clad in vel
low and black suit of plate armor and
much given to lying about the bush
roads and tracks asleep in the sun,
when one can often step over him. even
on horseback, without disturbing his |
slumbers. This heaviness of DISPOSE |
t1on has earned for our stolid friend an |
other name-the sleeping nzard"-
while from his fondness for taking up
residence in the holes of dry stumps
he is also known as the ''stump lizard"
Finally, his nickname among the bush
folk as "goanner," corruption evil
IDENTITY OF "iguana," to which family,
however, he bears snoresembance, no being
a non-climber and of a thick, stout
build. Now this -tongued" lizard,
the Tiliqua nigrolutea of naturalists,
deserves good treatment at the hands
of the bushman on account of one very
popularity which it mani
tests in common with the lord of ere
ation-namely to its great antipathy to
snakes. In Tasmania it takes the place
OF that noted cobra destroyer, the In
dian mongoose, and ill-adapted as it
would at first appear to encounter such
foes, yet 1t generally comes off the VIC
tor.
We spoke just now of the heavy,
stolid disposition of our black-and-yel-
ow knight, but let nice, medium
dzed snake heave into sight and all is +
hanged. The sleepiness disappears as
I by magic, and every nerve seems on
he alert, every sinew toughened to
meet the enemy. This latter has evil
lently mo stomach for fight" and
would straight depart" but his assail-
mt bars the way and forces an en-
ounter Then quick as lightning the
make makes dart, but our friend
odges with practiced skill, and .'gets
n bite himself. So they go on, dart Z
lg and dodging and savagely swapping q
t. each other, the snake getting the 4
'orst of it all the time, and soon ex-
ibiting unmistakable signs of being Z
layed out. Now is the "goanner's" .
pportunity; with a quick, dexterous 4
lrn he twists the snake over, and gives q
i'm a coup de grace ''under the chin" q
hen comes the reward of valor; TAX q
lg the head between his strong jaws, D
lr blue-tongued hero begins with D
uch relish to MUNICH his fallen foe, D
I'D, sticking to him with the same per-
stency as during the fight, soon dis q
'ses of the whole scaly length, and D
wing thus accounted for" another D
lid of the evil one, the victor retires ,
the shelter of hollow log to sleep | D
the repast.-H. Stuart Dove, in Ma D
ire Notes.
American--Was il sampson or Schiey
40 sunk your fleet?
Don-<siye it up. But / know we =