The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-03-04
LIZARDS AS PETS.
,oms Experiences With Pine Tree Va
riety of This REPTILE.

SOUO Experiences "txh Slno rec va
riety Of This Reptile.
Scientific American: II there is any.
thing we need to each more than an
other. 1t Is that numerous insects and
reptiles which arc held By many persons
to be poisonous are perfectly harmless.
This 10 especially SO of the pine tree liz
ard, or, as 1t ts often called. the fence
lizard. It Is true hat the lizard has teeth,
but they are almost too small to be seen,
the rough lips Of a bass. Moreover,
these little saurians seldom attempt to
bite. and make interesting pets.
I have q 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. With
this on my study table I 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-
Hons OF the atmosphere. After a rain.
or when they first come out Of their hid
Ing places in the morning, many OF them
are very dark. BY holding them in the
hand q 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 a head hobs up, and grad
daily the saurians either stretch out on
the sand or prop themselves upon their
Iorelegs In a most comical manner. They
soon become alert. and show how keen
their appetites are II fies, crickets. grass
frequently, when one has seized a par
.icularly fat g~rasshopper. another will at
Tempt to take it away. They are also
fond OF reaches, but care nothing for
aard-shelled beetles. They will not seize
An insect unless it is moving. and one
sften knows when the attack IL to be
made. as the lizard opens its mouth just
I little way before springing upo Its
prey. 1t uses its tongue with the same
agility as does the frog or toad, and
Sor9es u large insect pretty much The
iame way as a snake swallows a toad.
In burrowing in the sane they mako
Ieveral 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 a dozen or
more white eggs, which she leaves for the
warm earth to hatch.
I know of nothing else so easily tanned.
When caught in the hand they seldom at
tempt to escape. Placed on ones cloth
Il IlB lIley OlleI SL IN the same position
Tor a long time. Knowing this popularity,
{ decorated my little son with nineteen
lizards. Just to prove to some skeptical
people that I was willing to back my as
%sertions with a demonstration. Yet one
observer who witnessed 1t declared that it
was risky, and that he knew q man who
had lost a finger from the venomous bite
II a fence lizard. A teamster who was
not afraid to handle a snake could not
De persuaded to touch a lizard, although
they both saw a finger thrust into a little
saurian's mouth. Ignorance is hard to
Danish. but 1t easily drives away the
ruth.
They are not only harmless, but bene-
fetal. Lying or the fences which sur
round the field Of growing crops. they de-
YOUR many insects as these attempt to
enter the fields, thu benefting the farm
srs. who have no appreciation of their
,alue.