The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-01
when suddenly my guide pointed to a
bush directly in front of me.
I. Nothing there, I said.

Nothing there I said.
But yes. he REPLIED and then he
walked up to the bush and picked off this
chameleon
He took down jar containing one of
the largest of the specimens and held it to
the light for inspection.
Even after 1 saw him take it from the
bush could not find the others that were
thew till he showed me just where to look
for them, and then / had to laugh to my
self to think how clever the chameleons
were in hiding themselves al 1.-THE time
they remained In plain view.
I'VE secured five from that bush and
We got others from other places during
that expedition. But soon l became ac-
customed to looking for them and could
see them as quickly as my guide.
1.-The true chameleon comes only from
Africa There are no Others"
In the same cabinet with the chame-
Icons were the horned toads. which aren' t
toads at ALL but lizards, and the bull
lizard, or the collared lizards, as scien-
lists call It, because of the wide black
band around its neck the shyest and
quickest Of all that shy and agile species.
1T is impossible for one person alone
| to catch a collared lizard said Mr.. Hur-
ter. TT Is necessary for one to attract
his attention in front, and while he is
watching that person another creeps up
and grabs him from behind. You gener-
| ally have to grab ground and everything
| in his neighborhood when you capture
| him, for he moves so quickly that you
| cannot be particular about what you get
| along with him.
I'm capturing lizards of almost any
| species it is far more satisfactory to shoot
| them with No. IL shot They are usually
| in groups, and you very rarely injure all
your specimens, even If you are SO I'M
| fortunate as to injure some of them.
THAT specimen is one of the lizards
which we have here in Missouri This
eastern limit of territory where lizards
are found. and until ] found the collared
| lizard In Jefferson county, near Pevely 1t
was believed they did not live further
| east than the verdigris river, near Its
| junction with the Neosho river. in the
Creek Nation, Indian Territory. The col
| Jared lizard is the largest lizard we have
here, but there are other lizards found
in Missouri, many of them very interest
| Ing"
| In another case were several jars
containing ella monsters, the only
poisonous lizard known, that terror of
| the southwest, VIII ose bite Is supposed
| to be and In most cases is fatal. One
| of the largest of them, a thing fully
| Is Inches. long, Mr.. Hurter took down
| for inspection.
THAT" said he, ct captured near
Tucson, Ariz., and II were not Immune
| 10 poison 1t would have been the death
of me. I was very careful in hand
ling it. but in spite of all my pre-
caution it bit me through the hand. But
| 1t didn't Kill me- / am here" His eyes
| twinkled as he said 1t.
81 always considered myself immune
| from snake venom, for I have been Bit
ten several times by rattlesnakes and
other poisonous snakes and have never
Suffered any lasting harm from the
poison, but / did fear the ella mon
ster-before l was bitten. I do not
now.
IT was in Arizona again afterward
and was asked to relate my experience
| to some gentlemen who were making a
study OF tie ella monster, in the hope
OF discovering an antidote for the poi
son, but l could not tell them why
the poison did not effect me more. My
arm swelled very badly the first day
and gave me much pain, but the Sec
ond day 1t became normal again, and
| l. had no more trouble from the pol
son."
Then Mr.. Hunter told all sorts of in
teresting things about snakes, how few
of them are really poisonous, and how
the most dreaded snakes. like the boa
Iconstrictor and the great python OF
the Philippines, are harmless except in
their tremendous strength. Tie python
grows to length of 30 feet and It's
body Is as thick as the thigh Of a
man. When 1t wraps~Hself around a
man or an animal and begins to bring
ms powerful muscles into play there Is
absolutely no hope for the victim.
The large constructors are as quick
and >one of the enormous anacondas
Of the Amazon region Ncan aenfoid a;