The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-26
QUEER PETS.
A Woman Sets Forth the Charms q
 Various Small Repf;Tes

With many women there are fash ions in pets just as in dress, says the queen. The year 1908 was the year of the marmoset, 1909 favored the real live teddy bear while last year saw the introduction of the han1sfef The writer has had considerable ex- perience with reptiles and thinks wo- men might do worse than give some of them the next call.
 Some of the small tortoises." she says, are inexpensive but in purchas-
 ing them one should be careful to se.- cure strong, healthy specfments with
 undamaged shells. From time t0 time there come upon the market rarer and more expensive species. Some of these are very beautiful and we'll worth the fancy. prices asked for them, for although sixpence or a shilling will purchase an ordinary tortoise anything up to half guinea may be asked for the rarer kinds.
 Some of the American terrapins. especially when quite young. have most beautiful co1oring and mark ings. One that I possessed was bright green with markings in the form If concentric circles on each scale, and yellow, zebralike stripes ou the neck and head. Another was pale gr1y with darker circles and bright red stripes on the head and neck. Some of the land tortoises also are scarcely less attractive. The Indian starred tortoise, for instance, has yellow, starlike markings all over it's shell
 Then there are tree frogs and fire frogs which can be kept together in the same vivarium. The tree frog is about one and one-half to two inches long and is normally bright green iu color, though at times it may change to fawn, pale gray or dark olive green. Each toe is provided with a small ad- hesive disc or pad which enables the frog to adhere to any smooth surface even to a perpendicular pane of glass. It will feed on flies or bluebottIes which may be placed alive in the cage. On perceiving its prey it climbs as near as possible to it and then springs upon it from distance of som etimes more than foot. open ing it's mouth as it springs and fixing the insect with its tongue which is also provided with an adhesive disc.
 ''The fire frog the contrary is more Iethargic in it's movements until it has caught it's prey. This. how ever, must not be taken as a sign that it is not equally voracious Though barely an inch long it will tackle worms more than twice its length nor will it release it's hold when once 1t has seized it's prey. A fire frog may
 
 only to attach a mealWorm or cater pillar to a thread and dangle 1t in front of the creatures nose and 1t will at once seize it and may be drawn up Som etimes two frogs will seize the same worm at the same time one at each end. Then ensues a most tug of war.
 ''The coloring of the fire frog is remarkable. Viewed from above it is usually dull gray, though occasionally some specimens are dark green. The under parts, however, from which it takes it's name are spotted with orange red. One more curious trait about it Is the habit to be observed in some specimens of curling up like a dried leaf when touched. The bacls is then bent and all four limbs are cur1ed up. over it until the lips of the snour and all the toes nearly touch. It Is difficult to explain the reason for this action, but it is apparently de- signed to be in some way protective. Possibly the positions is assumed in order to display the warning red color of the under side"