The Washington herald., 1908-08-02
SOME OF THE REPTILES To
BE FOUND IN THE DESERT

Numoerless as the sands OF the South.
western deserts are the myths OF IN,
I deadly reptiles and other poisonous thing,
+ that are commonly supposed 20 infes-
/ every bunch OF mesquite and cactus
/ Nevertheless. il may safely be affirmed
/ that there are only three dangerous cres-
lures in the whole Southwest. Most
/ dreaded Of all is the rartlesnake- b.1-
/ hardly less 20 be feared is the common
/ place skunk More deadly than either Of
. these-but less considered because 50 rare
I that few persons ever see it's the hog
nosed viper. The Centipede. the ella mon
ster, The scorpion. and the tarantula are
not by any means pleasant COMPANIONS
but none Of them is dangerous. contrary
as the assertion may be TO accepted ira
ditions-
NO living creature IS more univsEsa liz
feared than the ella monster. Yet in
quiry fails TO bring 10 light a single au-
+. thentcated instance Of the bite Of this
creature having resulted fatally. The fact
tnat dissection and microscopic exauliua-
tion fau 10 reveal any trace Of the glands
Tor the secretion OF venom ought TO be re-
garGed as satisfactory evidence that this
member Of the szard family has been
grossly ma1iEned-
ella 5-OnsTer Not Poisonous.
Some years ago William H. Cobb. a pio-
neer civil engineer. who has carried the
transit almost every mile now traverscd
by the Santa Fe route in the Territories.
with few other inquisitive spirits Of Al
buQuerque. undertook TO settle the mooted
point as 10 whether the ella monster was
really dangerous OF not = fine specimen
vas captured and confined IN a wire in
closure Then a chicken was secured and
the feathers removed from its breast. that
the reptile might have fair chance to do
It's worst The chicken was then held
close TO the lizard II snapped viciouslv
at the chickens breast secured a firm
hold. and not letting go for more than Ten
minutes When it released its victim II
was found that the chickens breast bone
was broken. Nevertheless. biddy~ quickly
recovered, the bone knitting and the
wound healing over without swelling or
giving any indication Of poisoning. This
appears 70 furnish good foundation for
the belief that the dreaded ella monster
IS really as harmless as are all Of its nu-
Inerous relatives Of the great lizard fam
ily- Possibly the widespread but apUar-
entity groundless fear inspired by il is
due IN part 10 It's repulsive appearance
Possibly too. its bite may have been
known al times 70 prove fatal Il IS
fond Of feeding upon putrid flesh
Whether the tsrantula IS ever a death
dealer or not is another disputed point /
However. there seems 10 be no doubt that |
the bite OF this Spider-lIke creature in /
hicts one Of The most painful wounds that
the human body can endure Stolid In
dians. who have borne the tortures Of the I
sun dance without hinchIng. have been
known 70 roll upon the ground and shrek 4
IN agony when bitten by a tarantula- /
which leaves a hvid scar that never 4
grows dim.
II IS possible that the tarantula bite
sometimes proves fatal although It is
llIncuit 70 find well authenticated in
stance Of this kind
The Centipede Marks His Trail
The centipede leaves a little trail OF
white bisters wherever II crawls over anv
me and each OF these blisters develops
MO painful ulcer Its bite is extremely
painful. but rarely IS ever rataI since the
iiseovery OF iOdofOTm and similar. rene
hes, although If the traditions OF old
INES are to be believed. 1t used TO be con-
loereo serious matter. Doc Thomas.