628 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



they were placed in the Reptile House. The 

 fine example of the King Cobra, occupying the 

 third from the east end of the large north 

 cages, has flourished for the past nine and one- 

 half years. The two examples of Cobra-de 

 Capello have been on exhibition for the past 

 nine years, and are as vigorously malicious as 

 upon the day of their arrival. 



To best review the more interesting and 

 valuable reptiles exhibited in the Park during 

 the past ten years, we will consider them from 

 the standpoint of the countries they inhabit, as 

 follows : 



NORTH .\MERIC.\N RETTILES. 



As an important section of the exhibition 

 of the North American reptiles and batrachians 

 there has been steadily maintained since the 

 completion of the Reptile House, a series of 

 the chelonians, lizards, snakes, frogs, toads and 

 salamanders inhabiting New York and the 

 adjacent States. These local species have been 

 shown collectively, and supplied with descrip- 

 tive labels. The poisonous reptiles occurring 

 locally have been furnished with special labels. 

 Species of economic value have been accredited 

 with their usefulness to the agriculturist . 



This scheme of collectively exhibiting rep- 

 tiles that naturally fall into particularly inter- 

 esting groups, has been generally followed as 

 space and public interest have prompted us. 

 One series of the kind, always popular with 

 visitors, is a collection of desert reptiles, col- 

 lected in northern Mexico, New Mexico, Ari- 

 zona, and southern California. Upon their 

 native soil, some of which we have had boxed 

 and sent us from the Southwest, and with 

 cage settings of cacti and other curious plants 

 of the sterlie regions, we have exhibited an 

 aggregation of creatures of monotonously 

 pallid hues, though grotesque and even un- 

 canny in their incongruously varied forms and 

 habits. In the series of the rarer lizards of 

 the southwestern United States we have shown 

 the beautiful Fringe-Toed Lizard, (Uma 

 iiotata). a lacertilian of extraordinary pattern, 

 having a fringe of flattened spines along the 

 toes to prevent it sinking into the yielding 

 sand as it skims over sunburnt wastes in search 

 of insect prey ; the greater number of the 

 species of the Horned Lizards, (Phrynosoina), 

 some of which are very rare, even in the alco- 

 holic series of the great museums ; the Chuck- 

 awalla, ( Sauroiiialus atcr) ; the several species 

 of large Spiny Swifts, (Scdoporus) ; the 

 strikingly colored Leopard Lizard and the 

 the Collared Lizard, (Crataphytus), which run 

 at great speed upon the hind legs; the Zebra- 

 Tailed Lizard, (CaUisaunts draconoides), ap- 



pearing ordinary enough until it dashes away 

 with the long tail curled over the back showing 

 the under portion of that ap]5endage to be 

 boldly marked with alternate black and white 

 bars; and the Gila Monster, (Hclodcnna sus- 

 pcctnm), which, with the other American 

 member of its genus stand as the only known 

 poisonous lizards. 



Both species of the Desert Tortoises, {Tes- 

 tudo agassirii and T. bcrlandicri) are exhibited. 

 Among the serpents of our home deserts the 

 Horned Rattlesnake or Sidewinder, ( Crotalus 

 cerastes) is a conspiciously strange represent- 

 ative. Like all viperine snakes of the desert 

 regions of all parts of the world, — at least 

 those species that actually live in the areas of 

 yielding sands, — it progresses by throwing 

 forward lateral folds of the body, in rapid 

 fashion, imparting rather the effect of a walk- 

 ing motion than the sinuous movements of 

 a ty]3ical snake. ]\Iany specimens have been 

 collected by our agents in the Southwest, and 

 we have the gratification of knowing that those 

 examples lost by death have gone to fill gaps 

 in museums lacking representatives of this 

 eccentric species. ( )ne specimen of the rare 

 White Rattlesnake, (Crotalus mitchcUi), was 

 .ibtained for exhibition five years ago; and 

 with it came several e.xamples of the Tiger 

 Rattlesnake, (Crotalus tigris). Both are 

 desert animals. Though we have made re- 

 peated attempts, we have since been unable to 

 obtain other examples of either species 



The Red Rattlesnake, {Crotalus atro.v 

 ruber), of southern California, is a reptile that 

 has puzzled visitors to distinguish it from the 

 sandy floor of its cage. The most extraor- 

 dinary rattlesnake displayed in this series 

 came to us from a desert region in Central 

 America. This was a distinctly bluish reptile, 

 looking precisely as if powdered with pumice 

 dust. Investigation showed it to be a new spe- 

 cies, and it was given the technical name of 

 Crotalus pulz'is. Among harmless serpents of 

 the American desert regions we have shown a 

 number of phases of the Whip Snake, (Z(7;;(r;/!'.v 

 flagclliforniis frcnatus). ranging in hue from 

 specimens of clay color into gorgeous shades of 

 coral red. Several examples from Arizona 

 tended to shake the theory of "protective" 

 coloration. These were of a lustrous purplish- 

 black, with a coral-red abdomen. Our collector 

 explained that they were captured in a region 

 of \-ellowish sand. The smaller desert ser- 

 pents, such as the Cone-Nosed Snakes or 

 "Candy-Stick" Snakes, genera Ficimia and 

 Chilonicniscus have been often exhibited. 

 Several examples of the gorgeously colored 



