128 
same kind of saliva; and it must be noted 
that the various steps in their experiments were 
essentially very different indeed. In the case 
of Sir John Lubbock’s frog, it is also possible 
that the tooth or teeth of the Heloderma may 
have punctured one of the large arteries, a 
thing quite possible in the case of a small frog, 
but rather improbable in the case of a cat or 
even achicken. Indeed, it must be very evi- 
dent that there are yet to be made many ex- 
periments in this extremely interesting field 
before the exact facts can be known in the 
premises. 
[In connection with the above interesting 
paper we append observations on the “Gila 
monster’? made by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, and 
published in the Proceedings of Zoélogical So- 
ciety, of London, April I, 1890. It is to be re- 
gretted that no exhaustive notes exist as to the 
lite history of the He/oderma. The subject is, 
however, attracting much attention among 
naturalists, and a full biological history of the 
animal will doubtless fgllow at an early date. 
—ED.| 
During the summer of 1887 the present 
writer came into possession of two very fine 
living specimens of Heloderma suspectum that 
had been obtained for him in Southern Arizona, 
in that section of the United States zoogeogra- 
phically known as the Sonoran Region, and 
where the natural habitat of this, by far the 
largest of all of our North American lizards, is 
located. © 
Never having been so fortunate as to have 
enjoyed the opportunity of studying the habits 
and life of the Heloderma in its native haunts, 
I can add nothing here to the accounts of 
others already published; nor am I familiar 
with the mode of reproduction in this interest- 
ing species of lizard, though I have heard it 
stated, by good observers, that it is an ovipa- 
rous reptile. The two living specimens above 
referred to were separately packed each in a 
small box, and in coming to me arrived in ex- 
cellent condition, after making a journey of 
several hundred miles, lasting six or eight 
days, and each lizard consuming only on the 
day of starting part of a boiled egg. Upon be- 
ing removed from their boxes they drank freely 
of water, and afterward each ate the best part 
NATURE'S REALM. 
of a hard-boiled hen’s egg. Both of these acts,. 
however, were performed with marked deliber- 
ation, so much so that one would little have 
suspected that the creatures were in any way 
particularly hungry. In eating they employ 
their broad, black, forked tongue to a consid- 
erable extent, protruding the organ slowly from 
the mouth, spreading it out, and licking the 
morsel well before it is taken into the mouth 
and swallowed. They may also, in drinking, 
occasionally be seen to lap the fluid with this 
organ, and still in a more or less deliberate 
manner. These two specimens have already 
been several months in my keeping and under 
my daily observation, during which time they 
have not eaten half a dozen hen’s eggs between 
them, sometimes taking them hard-boiled, but 
as a rule seeming to prefer them raw; they 
have refused all other nutriment which has. 
been placed before them. 
I have shown elsewhere that another Ameri- 
can lizard, Phrynosoma, is capable of enduring 
an absolute fast for a period of three months or- 
more (Science, vol. vi. no. 135, September 4, 
1885, pp. 185-186) ; and it is a well-Ynown fact 
that other reptiles can do likewise:. Moreover- 
I am quite sure, from what I have-seen; that a 
good healthy adult Helodexma would prove to 
be another representative in this category, ca- 
pable of sustaining a prolonged period without 
taking any nutriment whatever into its system. 
When one of these reptiles is placed on the- 
open ground and left to itself it soon takes it— 
self off, and notwithstanding its rather awk- 
ward mode of progression makes withal very 
good time. Head, body and tail are all kept 
in contact with the ground, while the alternate- 
fore and hind limbs are thrown forward as the 
animal takes its rather ample steps and keeps. 
its way along, with no other apparent motive- 
in its mind beyond making good its escape. In 
walking thus it constantly protrudes, and again. 
whips .back into its mouth its great black 
tongue, evidently to some degree using the or-- 
gan as a detector of anything that may possibly 
stand in the road to impede its progress. 
If you now suddenly check it, the animali 
quickly rears its body from the ground by 
straightening out its limbs, wheels about, opens: 
its mouth widely, snaps its tongue in and out, 
