392 3. IGUANID^ 



larger size ought to mean a bulkier diet. For one to whom 

 such things appeal, an hour spent quietly watching a horned 

 toad on a warm morning will provide excellent entertain- 

 ment. Only, one must make himself as inconspicuous as is 

 consistent with getting a plain view of the 'toad.' Try it! 



"A strange habit of horned toads, familiar to all who 

 have caught very many of them, is that of 'squirting blood 

 out of their eyes,' as the boys say. Especially is this liable 

 to occur on a hot day, when a person grabs a 'toad' rather 

 roughly. Then one or both of its eyes rapidly swell up, 

 the lids meanwhile becoming tightly closed together. It is 

 not really the eye that swells, but it seems to be an engorge- 

 ment with blood of certain spaces behind the conjunctival 

 membrane and beneath the lids. At any rate, there is a 

 sudden bursting out of blood from between the lids with 

 considerable force, so that several small drops may land at 

 a distance of two or three feet upon one's coat or face. After 

 this ejectment from one or both eyes, we have known the 

 phenomenon to be repeated at least once more, within a 

 minute or two, if the rough handling of the animal is kept 

 up. After the performance the eyes are opened and every- 

 thing seems perfectly normal, except for the blood stains 

 on the edges of the lids. The blood so ejected is not known 

 to be poisonous in any way." 



Dr. Bryant states: "It is easily domesticated and can 

 be kept in captivity for a long time, if properly fed. 



"It is from this species that most of the knowledge in 

 regard to the ejection of blood from the eyes has been 

 derived. This habit was early discovered by the Mexi- 

 cans, who called this lizard the 'sacred toad' because it wept 

 tears of blood. Nearly every small boy in the region 

 where this species is common knows of the phenomenon and 

 can usually cite definite instances when a horned lizard has 

 'spit blood.' 



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