The Arizona sentinel., 1903-08-19


 weeks in Arizona and not see one rattIesnake. When 1 first came to Arizona 1 expected to find a rattfeSnake c6fled in every bush or clump of grass. What I did tor did not ] find was this: During these years I have trav- eled over a great part of the ter ritory afO6t, horseback and in wagons, and 1 don't think have seen more than ten rattlers. 1 am very sure 1 have not seen more than twenty: 1 do not think it would be an eXaggera- tion to say that there are several counties in Pennsylvania any one of which shelters more rat tlesnakes than does all of Arizona:
 Vipers. We'll, I have heard that there were some in Arizona. I have seen none; nor have 1 seen anyone else who has; so 1 don't think much dpngef need be feared from vipers:
 The coral snake is. a very pret-
 
 ty reptile, marked with black, white and red bands. about d half inch wide. These reptiles are said to be extremely venomous, but they are very scarce. 1 have seen but two; one was preserved in alcohol, the other 1 helped to kill.
 The next on my list is the ia nous Gila monster, d graylSh- colored lizard with terra COtta markings. 1t is shaped like an alligator, but the hind legs are pretty we'll back and look as though they were rather d part of the tail than of the body. The tail is thick and blunt at the end The length of the reptile is some times as great as eighteen inch es. The eyes are small ana beady, and the tongue long anC black.
 Certainly they are no beauties and it is equally as certain tha their bite is sufficiently poison ous to have proven fatal; but kind sirs, they won't bite yo unless you provoke them to il They are sluggish ff their move ments, and [ believe if not mo tested and angered, are perfectl harmless; the few cases know of people being bitten, fesultln = from the reptile being leased an
 provoked by "smart Alecks,
 who said, "Oh! you can't mak 'f lem bite, and they are nc
 poisonous if they do bite" Th5
 brand of idiots get it im the nee e in all countries; the gun thf le isn't loaded beating venom te .e to one:
 T. Is the Gila monster plentiful U Of the half dozen or so that y have seen;, all but one were lu captivity and considered US cu1 'o . Eosities:
 Next we will consider thejcen Efpede, which, with the scorpion
 is the most plentiful of the ve omous things. The centipede - a mean-Iooking 'critter, y WI - his sixteen legs on each sid each foot with a stinger in
 besides a Stinger in his tail ai
 d pair of forceps in front: also af disposition hardly angelic. Fl
 centipede is plentiful enough - you want to hunt for him { 1 ne >. CT cared to) under rocks al 4. boards in dark and Semi-dan =. places; and sometimes he W -. be little too neighbOrly al come into the house thrOus
 some crack. To most people t " centipede is vety repulsiYe; b Lo he is not SO dangerous ds -. looks to be. True, he can eje o, poison through each of his ma 4o singers, and if excited will do $ - but the result to the victim
 hardly worse than so many | stings would be. The centiped' :, movements are usually rath ;,, sluggish, but if alarmed he C ,,d go like a flash.
 The scorpion is about as pit le. tifui as the centipede and f to. quents the same kinds of piac ps It is scarcely so poisonous as