St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-12-27
THE R1NG-NECKED LIZARD.
PuGnaciOus Little Fellow Who
Makes His Home in the Desert
Lands in Arizona

| tne Chuck-Walla and the lIng-necket
lizard. The latter is found in great
est numbers on the washed baWlders
OF the canyons of the Pinal noun
tains Of central Arizona. This lizarl
would attract attention anywhere by
its brilliant coloration. Its scientific
name is Crotapbytus Collaris. His
back is colored a greenish or blush
brown, dotted and cross-lined with
Write, and from head to tail his en-
tire body is a blending and contrast.
ing of rich hues. Withal he is proud
and bold and most pugnacious fight
er. His favorite hunting place is on
some red-hot bowlder in the sandy
bed OF a canyon or dry wash. There
he will sit by the hour watching for
his prey. If some grasshopper or
beetle alights near, he will dash from
rock to rock and seize it, often leap
ing high into the air to bring it down.
1t smaller lizards perch on the neigh
boring rocks, trying to exc out Iiv-
ing on flies, the burly Ring-necked
| lizard will chase them with suci,
his intentions, even if he were not
often found gorged with their car
casses, together with spiny horned
toads and the bodies Of his own I'M
fortunate relatives. After he has de-
voured some victim, perhaps two
thirds his size, the Ring-necked lizard
crawls into some hole and lies in a
torpor until the process of digestion
enables him to move about again.
Then he resumes his post on the rock
and notes with quick eye every move
ment within the radius of his sight,
perhaps 100 feet.
The Ring-necked lizard is not mere
devourer of weaklings. He is always
ready to fight, whether he is chal-
lenged by another or cornered by a
man. When brought to bay in some
hole be opens his jaws and Gashes
bravely out, swapping at everything
which opposes him; and so fierce and
sudden is his rush that it is impossible
to face it without fiinching BY catch
ing two Ring-necked lizards, holding
them loosely by the small of the baci,
and allowing their heads to CLASH as
they struggled to escape, the author
was able to induce combats such as
must occur every day in the desperate
lizard world.
Forgetting that they were captives,
they would seize upon each other and
vent their thwarted rage to the ut
most in fight which, but for timely
interference, would doubtless lead to
the death of one or the other. Such
bulldog pugnacity is rather unlocked
for in lizards, but student of char
acter could easily read in the set jaw
and pouched throat Of this species the
signs of fighting blood.
It is the common custom of the
Ring-necked lizard, upon the approach
Of danger, to hide beneath his bowl
der, but if on peering out he sees he
is being hunted, he dashes off over
the powders at such phenomenal
speed that only quick eye can fol-
low his course, to say nothing of mark
some well-known Granny. Mr.. Cool
idge was once told by keen-eyed
desert man that these lizards run with
their hind legs only, and, while sci
entists would naturally be slow TO
accept such a statement, the author
believes that in running over rocks
this is true. BY examining tracks
where one had run through the dust
it was made evident that on the level
the Ring-necked lizard runs with all
four feet. But in running over rocks
he assumes a different posture; head
up, body thrown back and tail raised
on high, after the manner of various
other iguanian lizards. In this con-
nection Mr.. Coolidge states that while
engaged in Photographic Ring
necked lizards his subject would fire.
quently escape from him; and as he
spun away over the powders, often
against the sky line, the writer be-
came convinced that his forefeet never
touched except now and then to cling
for mohent as he landed on some
rock. It seemed as if he simply stood
up high on his hind legs and sprinted
like a man. The enormous develop
ment of the hind-legs would amply
justify such theory. But the camera
is not built which could catch a move
ment that battles the human eye with |
its blurr of speed, even if ingenuity |
and patience could induce the lizard |
to run across the field of focus, and so
10 photograph of the lizard in action
was secured.
This curious lizard is creature of |
the desert, having much the same |
range as the Chuck-walla, except that |
it is rarely found below an altitude
If $500 feet. 1t always lives among
rocks and is most commonly found |
n the canyons and dry washes of the
lesert ranges. Although carnivorous
Il tendencies, the Ring-necked lizard |
s chiefly vegetarian in bis diet, feed |
NO on the blossoms and leaves Of |
plants along with the mild-mannereGI |
Onc-Sided Buildings.
"a good many people find fault |
With some of the new buildings we
Ire putting up, on the ground that
hey are one-sided,' said one of the
uperintendents employed by large
company. by this it
s meant that they appear archi-
ecturally incomplete. Many en-
RANGES are placed at apparently in
cnvenient corners, and large win
ows and prominent decorations that
ightfully belong in certain sections
G insure harmonious whole are
Ow sadly out of place. This lack |