The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-12-12
THE CELIA MONSTER
ITS BITE NOT FATAL, S4K MANR
 SCIENTISTS.
Under Suspicion by Other Interesting Features of it's Anatomy-nIects Killed by it's Foul Breath.

The poisonous or non-poisonous character of the Gila monster has been q subject of discussion by naturalists for fully fifty years, and for that req son it has been well-named by them, Leioderms suspectum. It is about the most interesting of the reptile family in the United States, for, although innu- merable investigations regarding it's characteristics have been made, au- thorities still differ as to whether or not its bite is fatally poisonous. 'In addition to the variety found in the 1 United States" says the Scientific American, another called theheloder- ma horridum is found in Mexico, Indi- ans and Mexicans residing in the local lities where the monsters have been captured sincerely believe that their bite is fatal to a human being; but so l far as known no person has ever died from the effects, although many cases are recorded of people being bitten. l These peculiar luizards are found prin- cipally in Arizona, New Mexico north- western Texas, while a few have been seen in southern California. They are most numerous in the Mohave lescrt of Arizona, also along the San Pedro and Mchave rivers. while the Mexican va- riety has it's habitat chiefly in the state Of Sonora. The lizards are found not only in the arid valleys, but at com pa;atively high elevation, a proof that trey are extremely hardy and can en- dure a considerable range of tempera- | turt. The extent of the territory n 1 witch they are found has enabled nat urai fte to secure a compd. .ati"elY iaree number alive, and as already stated their habits have been closely observed by naturalists, not only ia this clun- try, but abroad.
 ''The species in the southwest form a distinct contrast to any other |arlety 9. Lizard on account of tle size, wlicE is mammoth in contrast to the ordinary desert lizard, which is seldom as long as ones hand. The head is very prom inent, comprising about one-ifth If tnt total length of the body Like ,hC back, it is thickly covered with tuber
 cles, forming a sort of armnr. In iht full-grown monster, these tubercles are tinted yellow and black. The oxteri1l of the stomach and the surface under the tail are also prote gel, but hS scales. One of the peculiariCies of the lizard family is that the bones of th' tail are extremely fragile, anI this ap' bondage frequently becomes detached by accident or when oitI,9l by some an
 imal. The Gila monster, however, eff
 fers in this respect, as its skin is s,
 tough that the tail forms one of Ih
 strongest portions of it's body. In fact lit can raise itself to a considerable height with its powerful fore-legs, tal
 ancing itself on the tip of the tail thu
 enabling it to climb rocks and othe,
 steep ascents,
 "One of the most interesting features of it's anatomy, and the one which ha
 given rise to so much discussion as t it's venomous qualities, is it's teeth Each jaw has from eight to ten, whicl are long, conical and slightly recurved Each tooth, however, contains deel furrow extending from the sharp poin
 to it's base, terminating in duet con meeting with glands. This formation i
 so similar to that of venomous snakes
 that it has been advanced as proof tha
 the bite of the beholdtrma is poisonous The teeth are so deeply imbedded Il
 flesh that ordinarily only the points ar revealed, but the grooves are so larg
 that the saliva contained in the gand readily exudes. Naturalists who hav
 made a study of the many varieties 0
 the lizard family are of the opinion that this is the only one which ha teeth. Consequently, interest has beer increased in study of it's anatomy and among those who have given opin ions relative to the effects of it's bit
 are some of the most noted authoritle
 of this country and Europe. With tn,
 exception of the teeth and glands, how
 ever, the monster bears little resem blance to any variety of snake eithe
 poisonous or otherwise. It is very sloY and clumsy in it's motions on accoun
 of its shape. It Is not timid ike othe
 reptiles, however and when threatened
 with a stick will endeavor to grip it il
 it's jaws, and if 1t seizes the stick, wll
 hold on like dog. When angered . emits it's breath in a succession O
 quick gasps. The breath is very fetid . and it's odor can be detected at som little distance from the lizard. It i supposed that this is one way in whc the monster catches the insects ant - small annals which form a part of it ? food supply-the foul gas overcoming } them.
 l Tn 1857 the heloderma suspectun was made the subject of study by Dl John Gray of the British Museum
 Professor E. ID. Cope, the emnen
 American anatomist, made 8 study c
 the salivary glands in the lower jaw 2 and discovered their connection wit the grooves in the teeth. Professo - Cope, however, failed to find that tn 7 glands were similar to those of poison l ous snakes On the other hand, Dr $ t Weir Mitchell and Dr. Edward T. Rel
 chert made a series of experiment - upon reptiles and small mammal v Saliva was injected into them by hy podermic syringe, with a result that a
 died in few minutes. From these an other experiments the naturalists dre'
 the conclusion that the saliva was ia tal at least to birds and small animal lDr. H. c. Narrow at Tucson, Ariz practically repeated the experiment
 made by Dr. Mitchell and pr. Reicher i,rinU phiplxnOs and ya hbifs 1111t it, evf