TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 157 



types encountered nearly exclu- 

 sively in or along old fences and' 

 rock piles, or in cactus jungles, 

 where they live on insects. The 

 rock lizard is rather attractive and 

 some of them are of a velvety jet 

 black color. They are shorter 

 than the tree lizard, and of a much 

 wilder disposition — generally seen 

 sunning themselves on a large 

 rock or rock pile — and quick as 

 lightening disappearing when dis- 

 turbed. 



These black ground lizards are 

 not the same type of lizard found 

 in mountainous regions. The latter 

 are more slender, of velvety white 

 and light grayish color and beau- 

 tifully striped with black cross 

 bands. They are often seen when 

 driving along the country roads, 

 along mountainous hills and cedar 

 forests, and they are very attrac- 

 tive, especially when seen on top 



of a large rock. In running, and 

 also when sitting on a rock they 

 curve and wiggle their long tail 

 high up, and when disturbed veiy 

 rapidly disappear under some 

 other rocks nearby. There are 

 various genera among these rock 

 lizards and the largest types are 

 exceedingly shy, and they usually 

 sun themselves on a rock close to 

 some rock cavity where they car 

 retreat with lightning rapidity iu 

 case of necessity. 



Our more common prairie and 

 garden lizards are too well known 

 as to dwell in detail here as to 

 their habitat. Their greenish and 

 striped body is even more slender; 

 and they are exceedingly graceful 

 in their movements, and of tamer 

 disposition than all the balance of 

 our lizard tribe ; they are very use- 

 ful creatures as their food consists 

 chiefly of full grown and larval in- 

 sects of all kinds. 



The Gila Monster and Other Obscure Reptiles 



I herewith present to my read- 

 ers a part of another miniature 

 photo copy, (not heretofore pub- 

 lished) of a large private and 

 original collection of my own, of 

 Texas animals, some of which 

 were photoreproduced directly as 

 encountered in nature and others 

 from the collection of renowned 

 local taxidermists of bygone days. 



However, this time it is the Gi- 

 la reptile to which particular at- 

 tention is called. In the March 1912 

 data appeared by a friend of the 

 issue of the Texas Field and Na- 

 tional Guardsman, the following 

 Field anent the Gila Monster, un- 

 der the caption: "A query for 

 Dr. Menger," in which the con- 

 tributor had said: "I have been 

 reading with considerable inter- 

 est Dr. Menger 's articles on "na- 

 ture observations ' ' for ' the past 

 year or so. I have been looking 



forward to each issue with the 

 expectation of sooner or later 

 having the pleasure of reading 

 something anent our most famous 

 of all Texas insects — the centi- 

 pede, the vinaigron and the large 

 black scorpion. Another pest, 

 which can not be classed as an in- 

 sect, by far, but which causes peo- 

 ple to shudder at the very men- 

 tion of its name, and which I 

 wished to hear discussed by a per- 

 son versed in science, is the Gila 

 (eloderma suspeetum). I do not 

 know whether this reptile is found 

 in Texas or not, but I have the im- 

 pression that some exist in the ex- 

 treme northwestern part of the 

 State." 



I respectfully submit this to 

 this gentleman and the readers 

 of the Texas Field : As fai- as I 

 am informed, the Gila Monster 

 is not indigenous to our Texas 



