302 REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 



mous. The chameleon is most grotesque in appearance, with 

 great, bulging eyes, and the covering of the head extended in 

 a flattened collar around the hind neck. It is especially 

 adapted for arboreal life, the tail being prehensile and the 

 toes specialized for grasping branches. It feeds chiefly on 

 insects, which it secures by quickly extruding its long, 

 sticky tongue to a length of several inches. In captivity 

 it lives only a few months, and takes its insect food but in- 

 differently well. 



The Gila Monster (Heloderma suspecfum) , of Arizona 

 and New Mexico, and two less known relatives are the only 

 lizards known to be poisonous. The Gila Monster itself is 

 a repulsive-looking brute — fat-bodied and squatty, with an 

 ugly head and of a vivid salmon color, coarsely splotched 

 with black. When first captured it is very savage, showing 

 a great willingness to make use of its poison fangs at the 

 slightest provocation. But after a few weeks it becomes 

 exceedingly dull, so that it is almost impossible to rouse it 

 to fighting pitch. In. captivity it is very hardy if kept warm, 

 and is fed on chopped beef and raw eggs. 



Alligators 



The mere mention of the alligator's name is enough to 

 arouse the interest of the average person, and few visitors 

 to Florida seem able to resist the opportunity to secure and 

 take home a baby specimen. These little creatures generally 

 are misunderstood and grossly mistreated, finally finding 

 their way to a zoological institution, if they are so fortunate 

 as to survive long enough to meet this happy fate. Alliga- 

 tors, no matter how small, are able and willing to inflict 

 painful wounds, so they distinctly are not good pets, and 

 should not be kept in such capacity. However, if one 

 really desires to keep them, they are not at all difficult if 



