El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-12-13
FIFTY THOUSAND

and representing ali q the ~ AtASAt'A-
families Of reptiles, toads and frogs, the
division Of reptiles and batrichians OF
the National museum IS one where
much interesting research. work Is be-
ing done. Reptiles. fishes and like
creatures are preserved in way differ
ing from that characterizing the pres
ervation Of mammals and birds. Iney
must be preserved in alcohol 1reaIeu
with such substances as formalin pc
fore being placed in the alcohol they
can be preserved indefinitely.
To Show Specimens In Alcohol
The museum proposes to make some
thing Of a departure in the manner OF
exhibiting reptiles in the future. Here
tofOre the animals themselves were
never placed in the eXhlDlIlOn cases
probably because OF the SnuddeE-plO-
vokfng appearance they present 70 the
layman. Such reptiles as We're on eNnl-
bitiop heretofore were simply plaster
casts. 1t IS now proposed 70 gatHeI 70
gether a representative coliection u
specimens preserved in alcohOl anu
place them on exhibition
The curator of reptiles. toadS ana
frogs in the National museum Is II
Leonhard Stenjeger, who IS head cura-
tor Of the entire department OF biology.
The excellence OF the. collection Is due
largely. to the work of this veteran
naturalist. He has spent great deal
of time in Japan and the Phlllpplnes
and the collection Of japanese requires
is now the most representative IN any
museum in the world. The Natlonal
museum also mas the IlnesI coLlee 49, ~
of Mexican and North American reptiles
in existence.
It is probable that a greater proper
ton Of the worlds reptiles and nam
mails have been described than any
other kind of animals. 1t . estimated
BY DR.. Stenjeger that perhaps 20 per
cent of the living specimens Of reptlles
have been described by the naturalists
Of the world.
No branch OF natural history pos
sesses more interest to the sclentlst
than that dealing with the repllles %
the world. They appeared on the earth
geological ages before the rise OF the
birds and mammals. As known IN ex-
isting species, they are IN many re-
/ spects modified and degenerate repre-
sentstives Of q group OF lung breathing
animals with backbones which attained
I their maximum development IN the
I Mesozoie period Of geological history
I It is believed by naturalists that the
REPTILES are the direct ancestors OF al
mammals and birds. Some extinct rep
tiles were so much ike ancient NAM
mails and birds that for long time IL
was difficult to classify them one
( finds in the giant dinosaurs which
rOamed through every part OF America
in geological ages gone BY. the hignest
I development Of the reptile since tnsh
I II has degenerated- Today the crocodlle
/ is the nearest familiar approach to the
golden days Of reptilian life
There is but one species OF reptile
/ living which bears fairly close reseIn-
I blance 10 its giant predecessors OF past
!, geological ages. This reptile is known
as the Tautari. 1t inhabtts the small
rocky islands surrounding New yea
! land So near to extinction has II pc
come that the government or New yea
land has passed a law protecting II
Yet with the advent Of the pork raising
/ industry and the accompanying clElll-
Zation IN New Zealand, the TautaTl mas
almost gone the way OF - ancient an
cestors, and II is predicted that it viii
not be long before the last one viii re-
pose in alcohol in some museum jar
This reptile looks as though II pc
longed to the lizard order but the nat
uralist places It between the turtles ana
the tortoises.
ZOoIoEy As Aid TO Science.
To the average person it might seem
that the work Of collecting reptiles
tOads and frogs, and studSing them Tor
the minute differences which d1stln-
guish the different species IS Work
Of no Importance. But here, as in ev-
cry other division of the National mu-
scum, one learns when he looks under
the surface Of things that this view
is entirely erroneous It Is to the sci
ence Of zoology and its painstaking ef-
forts that humanity owes many OF the
most beneficial discoveries ever made
by mankind. For instance, without
the minute description and distinctions
.
life, the world might yet have no prac-
teal application OF the splendid science
Of bacter1OlOgy- The millions or lives
that have been saved from epidemic
disease since the rise Of the science Of
bacteriology may discover the fOunda-
ton of their salvation in the laboratory
where the patient zOologist has worked
early and late to set down the tnmost
secrets Of all animal life
It is estimated that more than 10000
people die annually in India from the
bites Of poisonous snakes. The worlds
toll eXacted by the venomOus fangs OF
the reptile creation may amount to
hundreds Of THOUSANDS of lives. The
I development Of a satisfactory cure for
snakebite is fOreshadowed by the use
of the attenuated poison Of the rattle
snake as an antitOXin. and after all is
said and done, such discoveries IS these
go back directly 10 the BIOLOGIST who IS
sometimes laughed at for his painstak-
ing efforts at minute dtscrSn inations.
There are many interesting speci-
mems in the division Of reptiles and
batrichians. One is the hawk's-biu tur-
tie, which is interesting because Of the
fact that, although the smallest Of all
commercially. It IS this turtle which
gives the tortoise she'll o. commerce,
which consists OF the thin, clear. horny
shields covering the bOny portion OF the
carapace. The shields are removed from
the shell by heating it. Often the oper-
alton involves a living reptile and the
nartyred creature is turned loose az
forwards.
Flying Reptiles.
One scarcely expects to find flying
reptiles, and yet in the Malay PENN
sula and archipelago there are over
20 species Of such reptiles. They are
sort Of lizard which possesses a num-
Der OF ribs greatly prolonged and lat
terly movable. These ribs are attached
to a pair OF membraneous sheets Of
skin, When the reptile wishes to
change from one bough or tree to an
other, 1t is able to give a beautiful ex-
ample of an animal aerOplanist. Speci-
mems Of this species are to be found in
the National museum collections.
Another interesting specimen is the
plated lizard. 1t is able to throw off
its tail, and uses this as a sort OF pro-
lection. If it is caught by an enemy.
the lizard gives slight twist of its
| tail and discards that organ, which in
turn begins to cut a series of aston
/ ishing capers of its own. In the mean
time, the much shortened owner has
made good its escape. This reptile is
closely related to the glass snake. con-
corning which thRre is q story that il
throws off its tail when pursued and
hunts it up again afterwards. OF
course the scientist has demonstrated