Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-03-01
THE MEXICAN LIZARD
DELICIOUS EATING, HIS FLESH LIKE
THAT or CHICKEN.

A Tale of the Curious Tau OF the
Isunna - The Way This Peculiar
Creature Can Grow n New Appeal
age In Place OF One Lost or stolen.
My tale IS Of the tal OF a lizard. We
had steamed and railroaded many hun
ureds OF miles and at the end OF civili-
ration had started over a steep and
narrow trail with horses and pack
mules, finally finding ourselves en-
eamped in u deep canyon or barranca
10 west central Mexico.
Iguanas. great. black lizards. three
feet or more IN length, were abundant
In the deep caves OF the cliff, coming
out early In the morning to sun them
selves and bobbing up and down as an
owl ducks his head 10 get a better look
at US as our Mexican cook started tie
IRE or stirred bout the camp. We
found them deh us eating Though
the Mexican demu. ed at first. preJu-
dice was soon cast aside. Their limbs
might be black skinned and scaly with
out, but within all was sweet, white
meat. Ike that OF chickens and frogs
legs.
The iguanas. which had their bur
rows In the ground. would climb up
each morning. up. up to the topmost
limbs or some trees. and there bask In
the sun. They had a most startling
way OF descending. a headlOng dive 70
the underbrush or into the water. As
twilight fell the sight OF these great
black apparitions sprawling earthward
was most remarkable II one OF them
had ever struck US IN its descent our
interest in this strange habit would
suddenly have become lessened.
Our usual method OF procuring these
giant lizards for our larder was TO
shoot them high above Us. when they
would tumble headlong 10 our feet
Sometimes we could approach close 10
one when IL was fast asleep IN the
scorching heat of midday. Once
seized n big fellow by the tail I was
sorry a moment later. but as did not
want TO be beaten by a lizard l held
stoutly on. Never before had taken
hold OF such a steel spring. The crea-
ture curled and twisted and snapped
its body about. the sharp scales hay-
Ing anything but pleasant feeling on
the palm OF my hand. Suddenly some
thing gave way. and fell on my back,
while the iguana shot of in the op-
posite direction into deep hollow
among the rocks. When I regained
my feet found some nine inches OF
tail IN my hand. almost one-third OF
the entire animal
This is not an uncommon occurrence
among lizards, and the ability 10 part
with SO considerable a portion OF their
anatomy insures many an escape from
what would otherwise be inevitable
death
Almost all animals with backbones
have thick. pliable cushion OF car
tilage between each OF the bones IN
their spinal column. which permits
them 10 bend and twist It with much
freedom. The backbone OF the iguana
is at first all cartilage and when the
hard cells OF the bone begin 10 be de-
/ posted a deep, narrow wedge or crack
| IS left IN each tail bone This Is hlled
/ with soft cartilage. so these bones are
/ greatly weakened near their centers
Instead OF an accidental defect this Is
an all wise provision or nature. fore
seeing that hawks, vagrant naturalists
/ and other enemies may some day be
/ too quick for the reptile and Will seize
| its tail before II can escape.
When this happens, as IN my case.
the strain OF the struggling creatures
/ body IS too great for the weak spots IN
/ Its tail bones. and one OF these gives
way, with the result above narrated.
! The muscles. too. are arranged 20 aid
this phenomenon. They are short and
thick and conical instead OF running
the whole length OF the tail. and, being
only dovetailed together. they readily
give way. Only a few drops OF blood
escape; then the stump heals over. and
before long n new tail begins 70 shoot
out
This. Of course. contains no bones.
but instead a long. unjointed rod OF
| cartilage exactly like the ancestral one
which was present IN the embryo igu-
ana. Stranger still. the scales on this
new tail are unlike those on the rest OF
! the creatures body and actually may
be Ike those OF some bygone ancestor.
In the smaller lizards. called geckos.
this seems always 10 be the case.
When l closely examined the tail
which the iguana had left IN my hands
saw that 1t was one OF these fraud"
tails and had long ago Supplanted the
/ original appendage. with which some
other enemy. doubtless a feathered one,
had absconded. Two new vertebrate or
tail bones had come of with the base
OF my piece.
But the owner cares nothing for the
number or character OF his new tails.
They serve him well, and he is content.
1t IS curious fact that the tail making
machinery in his backbone Is so active
that sometimes 4 double or even a
triple tail viii push out At the stump.
and when the original tail IS even only
slightly injured az one side 4 tiny tail
Will often sprout out where IL has no
right 10 bee. William Beebe in New
York Tribune