Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-03-25
SNAKES AND LIZARDS
DR.. EDwORDS WRITES OF THE REPTILES
OF THE PHILIPPINES.
Snakes Of Various Kinds Infect the Islands.
Lizards Of Immense Size. One Species
Edible. Crocodiles and Frogs are
Also Numerous.

manila, +. L., March 10 :--l had an
experience this morning that gave me q
shock from which shall not recover
for long while. AS stepped out OF
bed felt a squirming snake under my
feet and jumped back for fear it was
one OF the deadly poisonous reptiles
which infest the islands. AS / looked
over the side of the bed / saw large
python make its way through hole
in the wall at one side of the room.
/ called the servants and told them to
find the snake and kill it. but they
informed me that it was tame and
was kept to catch the rats. saw it
frequently during the morning, as it
seemed to be busy honting for some-
thing to eat. and had ample oppor-
tunity to examine it closely. It was
about ten feet long and has been kept
about the place for several years.
Many Of these pythons are tanned by
natives who find them useful and
harmless.
In the woods, however. they are not
80 harmless. They have been known
to attain great size, and attack and
kill human beings. These large
snakes live on deer. wild hogs and
monkeys. They have dens in piles of
rock, called by the natives their
houses, and after gorging themselves
they retire to these dens until the
process of digestion is completed.
Natives tell tales of enormous snakes
which they have seen and frequently
you will hear of pythons fifty feet
long. But the largest ever captured
by scientific expedition was but
twenty-five feet. eight inches long.
This is an enormous snake, and un-
doubtedly scared native would think
he was fully fifty feet long. The
pythons are sometimes destructive to
calves and infiict much damage to
owners OF cattle.
There are many venomous snakes on
the islands. AMI on one little island,
Lukang. the mortality from snake
bites every year is said to be enor-
nous. There are many cobras and
coral snakes, but the one most feared
By the natives is the rice leaf snake
which is exceedingly venomous and its
bite is quickly mortal. There are
several harmless green snakes, which
are also called rice leaf snakes, and
natives say they are all poisonous.
The most interesting form of reptil-
ian life here is the little singing
lizard, or ghecko. 1t is very small
and may be seen at all times running
about the walls of the houses. catch
ing flies and other insects. 1t gives a
chirping cry, much like that of
young bird. There is q larger species
of ghecko which is sluggish and fire.
quentiy falls from ceiling to the
floor. 1t has loud cry which is very
annoying at night, especially when it
sounds from the interior of hollow
bamboo in the wall. which accest-
mates the noise.
Lizards are of so many kinds. The
i9uana grows very large. sometimes
being five feet long. One species is
edible. its flesh equaling that of
chicken. There are also many flying
lizards which have a membrane be-
tween the hind and fore legs, much
like the membrane of flying squir-
rel. Their color is like that of the
trees which they iuhabit, and they
can scarcely be seen until they sud-
denly spread their membranes and
dart from one tree to another. when
they assume vivid hue which makes
them noticeable. When they alight
they seem to disappear miraculously
as they assume the color of the bark
ON which they rest. These lizards
like all others are harmless, but the
large gheckos will bite viciousIy at
anything placed near them when they
cannet escape by running away.
The rivers abound in crocodiles
and in some streams they are very
dangerous. In many of the streets
infested with them natives bathe
and they say that until the
orocodiles taste human flesh they are
not dangerous. Some of the croco-
lilies have been found eighteen feet
long. and there are reports of others
which have exceeded thirty feet. but
ioubt is cast on these measurements.
There are numerous frogs. especially
in Manila. where their noise just be-
fore storm is so terrific as to drown
ali other sound. ! sat on the portico
of the hotel last night and could
scarcely distinguish the band playing
on the scotia on account of the noise
of the frogs in the pools and fountains
)n the street. In the forest are sever
II peculiar tree frogs which make
long leaps from tree to tree. Some OF
shem are eighteen inches long.