EXHIBIT AT PAN-AMEKH'AN EXPOSITION. 1 ( .»7 



the characteristic small harmless snakes were also displayed, and with 

 them a very instructive preparation representing the nest and eggs of 

 the curious hog-nosed snake and the newly hatched young snakes. 

 (Plate IT.) 



The American lizards are for the most part too small to he attractive 

 at an exposition, but the Pan-American exhibit included a line cast of 

 the so-called Gila monster, which is the only known poisonous lizard. 

 It inhabits the arid regions of the Southwestern United States and 

 adjacent parts of Mexico. Its venom is powerful and may cause death. 

 but as it is a very sluggish creature cases of poison are not frequent. 



Two large Cuban lizards found a place in the exhibit, the Cuban 

 iguana (Plate 15), one of the largest of American lizards, reaching a 

 length of 5 feet, and the Cuban chameleon, which, like the Old World 

 chameleons, can change its color, though it is not allied to them, but 

 belongs to the American family of Anolis lizards. The cast of the 

 Cuban iguana in its pose and coloring was one of the most satisfactory 

 and lifelike pieces prepared for the Exposition. 



The curious lizard known as the "glass snake" was also included 

 in the exhibit. This is a lizard without limbs, and hence resembles a 

 snake. It has the power of detaching its tail by powerful muscular 

 contractions, and as in this case a new short pointed tail grows out. it 

 has formed the basis of the stories of the mythical ""hoop snake.*' 



The, exhibit of batrachians was smaller than that of reptiles, but 

 included the more characteristic American forms, such as the mud eel. 

 tiger salamander, etc.. and several kinds of toads and frogs. Among 

 the latter was the Cuban toad, remarkable for its large size, and the 

 large ( hiban tree frog. 



FISHES. 



The exhibit of fishes comprised more than LOO specimens, of which 

 the majority were painted casts. The object of the exhibit was to 

 represent as fully as space would permit the larger, more character- 

 istic, and more important American species. It was found imprac- 

 ticable to make a satisfactory exhibit of West coast species, but the 

 most important forms on the Atlantic coast and the fresh waters were 

 well represented. (Plate 6.) 



The series included many of the most important game and food 

 fishes, such as the sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, striped bass, tarpon. 

 bluefish, croaker, mullet, and menhaden. Tarpon, which is well 

 known as one of the largest American game fishes, was represented 

 by a stuffed skin from Florida, presented by Bennett II. Young, esq. 



The Museum was fortunate in obtaining for this exhibit a good cast 

 of the man-eater, or great white, shark, b'.j feet in length. Specimens 

 of the dusky -hark and shovel-nose shark were also exhibited, the for- 

 mer with the (anion- renioia. or sucking fish, attached. The allied 



