190 A COLLECTOR'S EXPERIENCES 



There is only one species of poisonous lizard 

 known. This is the good-natured Gila '' monster,'' a 

 hardy and attractive animal for exhibition. It in- 

 habits the burning wastes of Arizona, and delights to 

 bask in a temperature which would kill many of the 

 snakes. The poison of this creature, although re- 

 sembhng in composition that of the snakes, is by no 

 means as powerful as with the latter. The Gila 

 " monster " is provided with a number of grooved 

 teeth in the lower jaw, and can bite with a power 

 that approaches the grip of a metal vise. 



In the care of a great collection it frequently be- 

 comes necessary to handle the poisonous snakes, a 

 process as dangerous as it is simple. The reptile is 

 coaxed into a favorable position with a long stick, 

 when the latter is placed firmly across its head, pin- 

 ning that member to the ground. The operator 

 quickly grasps the reptile by the neck, immediately 

 behind the head, and victory is his. Held in this po- 

 sition the snake can not turn and bite, although its 

 jaws will often fly open and shut, disclosing the 

 poison-bearing fangs in a manner quite terrifying to 

 any one with weak nerves. Thus the poisonous snakes 

 are taken from their cages and helped out of old skins, 

 or relieved of a portion of their poison for the pur- 

 pose of study. 



While experimenting with snake poisons the writer 

 had occasion to extract the venom from a number of 

 water-moccasins. The apparatus used was simple, but 

 very effective. Over the top of an ordinary gradu- 

 ating glass was tightly tied a piece of thin chamois. 



