The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-03-04
LIZARDS AS PETS.
'ome Experiences With Pine Tree Va
riety of This Reptile.

riety of This Reptile.
Scientific Americana: If there Is any
thing we need to teach more than an
other. it is that numerous insects and
reptiles which are held by many persons
to be poisonous are perfectly harmless.
This is especially so of the pine tree liz
ard, or. as 1t Is often called. the fence
lizard. 1t is true that the lizard has teeth,
but they are almost too mall to be seen,
the finely serrated jaws feeling just like
the rough lips of a bass. Moreover,
these little saurians seldom attempt to
bite, and make interesting pets.
I have a box two feet long. one foot
high and six inches wide. the sides being
Of glass and the bottom covered with
White sand to a depth Of two inches WV,
this on my study table have a good
opportunity for watching the five interest
Ing inmates as they eat and sleep. Two
are males and three are females. easily
distinguished by their welcome. Their
color seems to be Influenced by the condi-
lions of the atmosphere. After a rain,
Or when they first come out Of their hid
are very dark. By holding them In the
hand a short time the color changes very
perceptibly.
When my pets are ready to go to bed
they dive into the sand. where they re-
main covered up until morning. Then
here and there q head bobs up, and grad
daily the saurians either stretch out on
the sand or prop themselves upon their
torelegs in a most comical manner They
soon become alert, and show how keen
their appetites are If flies, crickets. grass
hoppers or katydids are thrown to them.
Frequently, when one has seized a par
slcularly fat grasshopper, another will at
Tempt to take 1t away. They are also
fond Of reaches. but care nothing for
hard-shelled beetles. They will not seize
an insect unless it Is moving, and one
often knows when the attack is to be
made, as the lizard opens its mouth Just
l little way before springing upon Its
prey. 1t uses Its tongue with this same
agility as does the frog or toad. and
rorges Il large insect pretty much the
'ame way as a snake swallows q toad.
In b%urrowing in the sand they make
several strokes with the right or left fore
loot, changing from one to the other; but
when this dirt Is to be worked out Of the
way, they use their hind feet with alter
nate strokes with great rapidly. The fe-
male in this way evidently digs into the
! ground, where she deposits u dozen or
more white eggs. which she leaves for the
warm earth to hatch.
1 know Of nothing else so easily tanned.
When caught in the hand they seldom at
tempt to escape. Placed on ones cloth
,ng they often sit in the same position
Tor a long time. Knowing this popularity,
{ decorated my little son with nineteen
lizards, just to provo to some skeptical
people that l was willing to back my as
Sertions with a demonstration. Yet one
observer who witnessed it declared that it
was risky, and that he knew a man who
had lost a finger from the venomous bite
If a fence lizard. A teamster who was
lot afraid to handle a snake could not
De persuaded to ouch a lizard. although
they both saw n finger thrust into a little
saurian's mouth. Ignorance Is hard to
Danish, but it easily drives away the
ruth.
They are not only harmless, but bene-
fetal. Lying on the fences which sur
round the field of growing crops. they de-
YOUR many insects as these attempt to
enter the fields, thus benefting the farm
ars, who ave no appreciation Of their
'alue.