Bisbee daily review., 1911-08-31
DECLARES THE GILA
 MONSTER MAlIGNED
Kansas Professor Proves the Reptile as Harmless as
 a Kitten

TOPEkA, Kan, Aug 30,-The two Gila monsters from Arizona. which occupy big screen cage in the office Of B. B. Smythe. curator of the Goss pathological collection. at the state house. are as harmless as kittens ae cordlhg 10 Professor Smythe. The two monsters are alive. too. While one spend his time in a pan of water. the other contents itself on a pile of rocks. The following sign appears on the door of the cage:
 Danger Bewarei Den of live reptiles! The terrible Gna monster which never lets go till moonset (so people say, who are misinformed1. The dreadful spread head blowing viper whose bite has never yet been cured (becanse not one has ever been known to bite) They never bite peo. pie in anger"
 Those Gila mrnsters," said Profes- sor Smythe fare harmless" and he opened the cage and grabbed one of the big clumsy lizards by the tail and pulled him around carelessly. The reptile made not the slightest attempt to resist or to bite
 Much Maliened.
 This is much maligned crea- ture,' said Professor Smythe. Rep tiles in all ages have bitten people unexpectedly, and they have died clearly from the effects cf the bite; and the human family is not able to distinguish between the reptile that is poisonous and the one that is in- nocuous. 1t requires courage and the overcoming of natural prejudices to place person on friendly terms with any reptile. There is nothing to so- called snake charming other than the exercise of real genuine kindness and absolute fearlessness.
 Reptiles of all kinds, especially snakes, having exceedingly sensitive tongues that are tender and delicate. and capable of feeling by simple ex- tention from the mouth, of all sorts cf emotions, such as anger, fear, friendship. hatred, cowardice. and many other emotions, whether mani fested by a human being or by any other creature, as well as by their own kind They know instantly as soon as they protrude the tongue, what your intentions are toward them. These Gila monsters, like many other reptiles, have a fOrked tongue; but in this case it is a stouS, muscular tongue, not so very sensitive as in other reptiles, and capable of grasp ing objects between the two portions Of the tongue and drawing them in-o the Elolth.
 What Ie Eats.
 The favorite food of the Giia mon ter is young birds and eggs in any s,age of Meubation. These creatures, considering their clumsy structure, remarkably axnert in climbing cacu and other supposedly inacces- sible places. their harc. :mleryiOus armor rendering them iIrmune to or d1nary thorns and beaks of birds They are also expert in digging in tie sand along the dry streams for the eggs of turtles, snakes and other lizards. In the absence of their favor ite food, they get along nicely lDon a diet Of Arizona tiger-beetles. These Insects are seldom or never seen in daytime except when very dark and rainy. but are abundant during ihe sumner season in the early cven.i g or morning. among the al;Ecst insc- eesgttie rocks pf the mo urtaiEs, . faynrs ble haunt of the Gili monster and other lizards.
 The Gila monster is largely noe turnaI in habits, and does a great deal cf his searching for food in the night These that are in captivity are ex- ceedingly shy creatures and have to be very hungry before they will al low anyone to see them eat Here in captivity they swallow food that is placed in the mouth, but they are not demonstrative and whether they swal- ] tow greedily or reluctantly cannot be told from any muscular movement , They have, however, one curious habit that is very interesting When ! the mouth is filled with soft egg tho | lizard plants it's tNi1 front feet firm. I ly in the ground Or on a slightly ele- yated rock in front Of j., then raises ! the head straight up as far as it can reach and remains for a shert time in i a fixed attitude One woman who observed the Gila monster in that 1 position said 1t was returning thanks i for it's breakfast.
 Oue fetuoi hdoic iSaloic dCtNb thS ] Gila monster. and one that is common to all reptiles. is the ability to go for a long time. even six months or a year. without a particle of food. The reptile as all know is cold blooded and requires no food to keep 1t warm as animals or birds do; it does uoI l perspire, and there IS exceedingly lit tie waste. the creature seeming tC have the ability to assimilste all food that it eats"
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