4 ON THE “GILA MONSTER.” 
regular proceeding : every morning about nine o’clock the 
fellow climbed up in the corner of his box whence he was 
lifted over into the sunshine to take a nap until the shad- 
ows came upon him, then he would climb in the corner 
again till returned to the larger box to take his favorite 
position in his den for a while. To forget or neglect him 
was out of the question ; his scratching would not permit it. 
The number of eggs charged to him does not average 
more than one per week ; the other food given him amount- 
ed to very little. 
In the latter part of July he began to slough. The ep- 
iderm came off in a very ragged way, in shreds and 
patches. There seemed to be no effort to hasten the proc- 
ess and a month later it was not entirely finished. Think- 
ing to hurry the matter, in case all had not gone along 
in the normal way, a bath tub was furnished with water 
sufficient to completely cover him. At once he showed a 
fondness for lymg in the water with his snout sticking out ; 
this was varied by lying on the bank with his tail sticking 
in, & position which he apparently found to be very de- 
lightful. 
Heloderma was really good-natured. To be sure he 
was easily worried into self-defence, but there was nothing 
vicious in his disposition. To scratch him on the sides, 
or rub the knobbed scales of his back, or, more readily 
than either, to blow in his face would make him open his 
mouth, for which he was not much to be blamed, but even 
then something had to be put between his teeth to get him 
to bite, he had so little desire to take hold of his tor- 
mentor. 
His thirst required more attention than his hunger; he 
drank frequently and always with great deliberation. To 
tempt his appetite various things, such as insects, worms, 
young birds, mice, meats and cooked foods were put be- 
