The National tribune., 1903-01-29

tenden. which latter was in 1867 sarri-
eoned like the former by one company of
the LIST u. s. Cav. and one company OF
the 32d U. S. Inf. formerly the Sd Bat
talon, 18th inf, led through several vii
lagos. of prairie dogs, which live in eX-
cavations surmounted by small tumuli full
of holes that are used for ingress and exit
by these pretty, graceful ground squirrels,
called by the biologists, Cynomys Ludo-
vicianas. 1t bears a great likeness to the
marmot of the Swiss Alps. The little an
imal generally sits upon its launches at
the entrance of its lair, fixing its little
lively eyes upon the passer-by, emitting,
at short intervals, whistling or grating
sounds not unlike those produced by
swinging door whose hinges need oling.
Keeping time with this music, it moves
its bushy tail hither and thitler in jerky
motions. Upon near approach this httie
animal disappears into its cavern, not by
crawling, but it seems TO jump hrst up
wards, to turn a somerSault and thus en-
tiers into the ground with the same short.
jerky action with which it does everything.
A few seconds afterwards the pretty little
head will appear at the opening again,
peep out and examine its surroundings.
Their habitations, eXcavated by them
selves, are shared with small BLUSH
gray ground owl tSpeotyto hypogaea),
which lives with them in perfect harmony.
Some people assert that these underground
lodgings are also occupied as common
property by the rattlesnake, found every
where in Arizona before the development
of the cattle industry; but this l am not
prepared to assert, as l have never secl
a rattlesnake either come out or enter
one of these squirrel holes, willie / have
seen the owls do this frequently But
this L do know, that have frequently seen
rattlesnakes lying quietly in the sun
among these tumuli while squirrels and
owls were playing all around them, and
whenever l wished to procure one OF these
uncanny reptiles for an experiment, or
for stutfing or for belt made of its skin,
/ would fine one or more without fail
upon or about the numerous hills forming
a village of prairie dogs. 1t is not i'm
possible that the rattlesnake may have 4
cave and corresponding hole for his use
in one and the same hill with the birds
and quadrupeds. but l should not think it
likely, on account of the utterly vivacious
nature of the prairie squirrel, which is a
''perpetuum mobile" and the phlegmatic
temper of the snake, to which all motion
not connected with self-defense or main
tenance. seems a superfluous exertion.
CHA MONSTER OF THE ARIZONA DESERT.
Before closing this chapter l will say
something of the ella monster, its ap-
pearance, habits and venom, about which
latter so many erroneous ideas exist to
this day. In Noah Webster's Dictionary
we may still read: "Gila monster, the only
lizard with poisonous fangs;" while, as n
matter of fact, this lizard has no fangs at
all, venomous or otherwise. 1t is few
years since some medical gentlemen of
Philadelphia have established the fact be-
yond a doubt that the venom of the ella
monster is contained in its spittle (saliva),
and causes death by producing a sort of
rabies or hydrophobia when it enters into
L. 81
teeth of the lizard. After much tedious re-
search, a German zoologist has also dis
covered very lately that the ella monster
has in its lower jaw only few small re-
ceptacles where venomous matter is Sc
GREETED and thence probably enters into the
saliva of the Infatuated Animal.
The name ella monste, has been given
to the lizard in the United States because
it is found upon the sandy bottoms and
adjoining table lands of the ella Valley
more often than anywhere else, and on ac-
count of its "uncanny" appearance. 1t
is not found in the United States any
where except in the southern portion of
the Territory of Arizona, whence it ex-
tends its habitat into the adjoining Next
can State of Sonora. The scientists have
named it Helode-ma suspectum, and the
illiterate Mexicans call it ''escupion" (the
splitter, derived in ungrammatical man
ner from the Spanish verb "escupir"-to
spit. 1t appears on the surface of the
ground only during the hot season MAY
to September), alternating underground
during the remaining months.
My first introduction to the lizard &C.
CURED as follows: a short time after our
arrival at Wallen our mail rider. return
ing from Tucson, related that he had sud-
denly come upon a peculiar animal, about
three feet in length, which was crossing
the road directly in front of him, near the
Milestone Mountains; rnat his horse
SHE'D so violently as to nearly throw him
from the saddle, that the thing looked
very much like young crocodile or cay
man 1.-THE mail rider was native of Lou
isianal, and had quickly run to cover. hid
ing in a pile of stones near by; that the
horse had been SO much frightened that
he, the rider, had to dismOuHt, and could
quiet the nervous animal only with great
difficulty.
/ translated, as best l could. the mail
riders report to our Mexican herders, and
they declared Immediately that the ami
NAL must be an ''escupion," although they
said it could never have been of the size
described, as one exceeding two feet in
length had never been seen. They forth
with cited cases that had come to their
knowledge from hearsay), of people dying
overnight, or within a week, or a month.
after being bitten by this lizard and / be-
came so interested in the matter that /
offered them 81 for dead, but outwardly
uninjured, Heloderma, and 81 for a live
one. A very few days afterwards they
brought TO the Quartermasters office a
live ella monster, which they had caught
with a hair-rope sling 1t hung by the
neck fastened to the middle of a long dry
cactus stick held by them at either end.
When / stepped out and was approaching
the reptile they both exclaimed at once:
"Por Dies, Senior, cuidador' QTor Gods
sake, sir. take carc)
had them carry the lizard into an emp
ty corn room with dirt floor, into which
we drove a picket pin having at its top
movable ring After several manipula-
tons with two pairs of blacksmth's
tongs, we succeeded in fastening the lit
tie animal. measuring about 20 inches. to
the ring on the picket pin, giving it about
two feet of rope from neck to PIN The
Mexicans were terribly unnerved by this
operation, especially when the lizard. hay-
Ing become greatly excited, began to spit
freely; so l paid them, gave them a nerve
restorer, and let them go.
CHA MONSTER AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS.
The somewhat lengthy operation Of Sc
curing the natural curiosity" had made
the Heloderma furious 1t presently be-
gan to snarl and spit like mad cat; it
also Strengthened out its foreIegs and as
sumed more erect position. showing by
that time quite n threatening attitude.
When rendered it the corner OF wooden
blanket it bit into il with such fury and
retained its hold with such tenacity that
We had to make use of an iron poker to
release the blanket for its Jaws. We
hrouplf n cat and ,,locoH m, ~, .,.o,,., \