THE GUIDE TO NATURE 
106 
mary is complete ip the ,bpok of Dr. 
Leo Loeb, who led a staff of eleven 
competent coadjutors in a thorough 
research under the auspices of the Car- 
negie Institution of Washington and 
the results were published in 1913 by 
the Institution, entitled “The Venom 
of Heloderm.” 
The truth about the toxic powers of 
beaded lizards reveals that their venom 
is powerful enough to kill fowls and 
small mammals but is inadequate to 
produce a fatal result to man. In his 
fascinating and valuable brochure, 
“Poisonous Animals of the Desert” 
(Bulletin No. 83), Dr. Charles T. Vor- 
hies, Zoologist of the University of 
Arizona, Tucson, the author declares 
that investigations have failed to estab- 
lish a single reliably authenticated in- 
stance of a human being having died 
from the effects of a beaded lizard’s 
bite. Dr. Vorhies emphatically de- 
clares that there is no defensible rea- 
son for native or tourist to destroy 
these animals, urging that they should 
be spared as an interesting and pictur- 
esque figure of the characteristic fauna 
of our southwestern arid region. 
The Gila monster and I are old 
friends. I have possessed specimens, 
off and on, for twenty-five years. If 
taken young these lizards can be tamed 
like all other of the world’s wild crea- 
tures. While I have faith enough to 
handle specimens that I know are 
tamed with a certain degree of free- 
dom, I do not permit them any possi- 
bility of biting me any more than T do 
a rattlesnake. A characteristic of the 
beaded lizards is that they have strong 
jaws and bite like a snapping turtle 
and hold on with the tenacity of a 
bulldog. As Ditmars points out, a 
docile and quiet “tamed” Heelah, who 
is sluggish in a cool, shady place, will 
rear up like a lion rampant and fight 
everything and everybody if placed on 
sand in the hot sun. While the beaded 
lizards have not needle sharp fangs, the 
teeth of the nether jaw are grooved on 
the forward side and the venom Hows 
along the groves from a fan-shaped 
row of containers in the tissues of the 
jaw. 
The feeding habits of these lizards in 
their habitats have not been not been 
fully observed and reported. In cap- 
tivity they are as easy to keep as any 
kind of reptile I have known, for they 
feed readily, like various other lizards, 
on chopped meat and raw hens’ eggs. 
The most delightful tidbit known in the 
menu of a captive “Heelah” is a choice 
mouse omelet — a dead mouse beaten up 
in raw egg. 
Delight for Lovers of Shakespeare. 
It is indeed an acceptable Shakes- 
pearean festival that E. H. Sothern 
and Julia Marlowe have for several 
weeks been presenting to delighted 
audiences at the Century Theatre, New 
York City. They began on October 31 
with “Twelfth Night,” following it by 
“Hamlet,” “The Taming of the Shrew” 
and “The Merchant of Venice.” 
Every lover of Shakespeare and of 
education in general knows the decided 
educational advantages derivable from 
performances by actors so efficient as 
Sothern and Marlowe, who have re- 
turned to the New York stage after 
some seven years of absence. We can 
but voice the cordial good wishes of 
lovers of English and of education in 
offering words of appreciation to these 
efficient portrayers of Shakespeare’s 
plays. Sothern and Marlowe have en- 
deared themselves in the hearts of 
people of all ages. It is generally sup- 
posed that Shakespeare appeals chiefly 
to the adult but these accomplished 
actors have proved that even young 
children catch the spirit and feel the 
superiority of these high class dramas 
when they are properly presented. 
The Glen. 
BY MAUD A. NEWCOMB, NEW YORK CITY. 
There’s a quiet glen, 
Full of shadowy places. 
Where the air is cool, 
And the sun embraces. 
Where chipmunks play, 
And sounds are sweet, 
And flowers unbidden 
Bloom close to my feet 
Where the wind in the trees 
And the streams flowing under 
Both joyously sing 
Of a world full of wonder. 
Where a waterfall splashes 
Its rainbow spray 
Over rocks that are mossy 
And tinted gray. 
Where the lines of the mountains 
Stretch softly green 
Through the fairest country 
That ever was seen. 
There’s rest for the body, 
And peace is there, 
And it’s joy to be free 
I11 the open air. 
