WARD’S NATURAL SCIENCE BULLETIN. 
7 
Under the title, "An Interesting Lizzard at the Zoological Garden, Central Park,” 
Mr. C. F. Holder, of New York, writes as follows: 
HELODERMA 
An extremely interesting lizard has recently 
been added to the Zoological Garden at Central 
Park, New York, of the genus Heloderma, spe- 
cially, according to the director, the (Heloderma 
horridum) Wiegmann. This and the (Heloderma 
suspectum) Cope are often confounded, but they 
are two distinct species, according to Prof. A. S. 
Packard, jr., H. horridum being confined chiefly 
to Mexico, while (H. suspectum) is found in 
Southern Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. To 
H. horridum the common name of Galtetepon is 
given, while H. suspectum is known as the 
“ Gila Monster” in the Arizona country. _ This 
is probably the first live specimen ever exhibited 
in the East. This, a specimen in the cabinet of 
the Smithsonian Institute, and a skin of H. sus- 
pectum, recently presented to the American Mu- 
seum of Natural History, Central Park, by the 
Scientific American, being the only specimens of 
the genus available for examination. Their 
rarity is probably owing to a strange superstition 
to the effect that they are poisonous, and it is to 
this the Park owes its specimen. The owner 
was so impressed with its death dealing powers 
that he presented it to the city, and warned the 
director and men of its power; but he was much 
astonished when Mr. Conklin took the reptile 
from the box and examined it closely — and still 
lived. Mr. T. W. Parker, of Phoenix, Arizona, 
in a communication to the Scientific American , 
says that the natives believe the breath of Helo- 
dermo suspectum to be fatal, probably from its 
habit of blowing when disturbed. He adds that 
a saloonkeeper of his acquaintance captured one 
of the lizards and kept it for some time as a pet. 
It was tied in the corner of the room, and soon 
excavated a hole in which it concealed itself. 
Mr. Parker was informed that a mouse that 
appeared in front of the hole was paralyzed by 
the poisonous breath given out by the entrenched 
Heloderma. His personal experience with them 
is interesting and confined to a combat which he 
witnessed between a Heloderma and a snake, on 
Salt River, Arizona. The former was about 
fourteen inches long, and the latter four feet. 
The snake struck the lizard repeatedly, but its 
fangs evidently made no impression on the 
rough skin. The latter, however, evidently be- 
came enraged and rushed upon the snake, and 
seizing it in its arms and mouth bit it severely, 
hurting it badly, as they both crawled away 
seeking concealment in the brush. Mr. Parker 
was also informed by some one in good faith that 
a man in Arizona had been bitten by one, and 
had remained paralyzed on that side ever since. 
Dr. Irwin made frequent experiments with the 
Heloderma, with small animals, etc., and found 
no evidence to sustain a belief in its supposed 
poisonous nature. Hernandez, in his history 
of New Spain, is also inclined to believe in its 
powers. He says, referring to H. lioridum: "It 
is a terrific kind of lizard, its breath deadly to 
some natives, but to no one else. It is called by 
SUSPECTUM. 
them Scorpius, and is about two ells in length, 
with a long tail, short legs, a broad and bifid red 
tongue, which it sometimes rolls about. Heavy 
and slow of motion, and covered with a hard 
skin variegated with brown and white spots like 
small pearls or the seeds of the Lithos pernium, 
while from the hind legs to the extremity of the 
head are disposed the various forms, but on the 
tail form rings chiefly of a brown color, which 
also surround the body transversely at intervals ” 
Through the courtesy of Mr. Conklin, the di- 
rector of the Zoological Garden, we are enabled 
to show the characteristic features of the late 
addition. The Helodermadce are a family of 
pleurodont saurians belonging to the group Di- 
ploglossae. The family was established in 1864, 
by Profs. Cope and Gray, when several speci- 
mens were secured during the survey of the 100th 
Meridian. The two species are found, as before 
indicated, on the ridges along the Pacific coast 
as far east as the dividing line. In general ap- 
pearance the Park specimen resembles a young 
alligator with a blunt head and shortened tail. 
It has the same uncertain, slow, awkward move- 
ments that characterize these reptiles. Mr. Conk- 
lin feeds it upon hard boiled eggs, but when wild, 
according to Mr. Parker, they live upon smaller 
reptiles, mice, and such insects as they can cap- 
ture. Its alleged habit of ejecting its breath in 
the form of steam when alarmed, has not been 
noticed in confinement. It is very probably a 
fact, however, as many animals have a similar 
habit, and from this the erroneous belief in their 
deadly nature has arisen. The Park specimen is 
about ten inches in length, though they reach a 
length of three feet, and are the largest lizards of 
Mexico. Concerning its habits in general little 
or nothing is known, but they are presumably 
like those of the Iguana, to which thev are 
allied. C. F.“ H. 
It has been our good fortune to have obtained 
from several sources — including Prof. W’s. trip 
last spring through Arizona, — no less than five 
specimens of this most rare and interesting lizard. 
Of these we prepared one beautiful skeleton, 
which, nicely mounted, we sent to the University 
of California, while another, a live individual 
went to Prof. Burt Wilder’s cage of reptile var- 
mints at Cornell University. This latter speci- 
men we had alive for several months, its den 
being a small box, from which it seemed to have 
no desire to escape. It was taken — as is most of 
the live stock which comes to the Establishment 
— as a particular pet by Prof. Ward’s little curly- 
haired daughter, Alice. Alice often came run- 
ning into one of our shops to uncover the box, 
seize Heloderma by the body or the tail — with no 
regard to his specific name, suspectum, — and then 
rush away to the house to show his lizardship to 
some visitor or friend there. If he ever bit or poi- 
soned her she has not yet informed us of the fact. 
THE LONDON FISHERY EXHIBITION. 
All of our readers know that an International 
Exhibition of Fish and Fisheries opens in Lon- 
don on the first of May, but they may not be 
aware of the extensive preparations that have 
been made by the United States to participate in 
it. For many months a large force has been at 
work at the National Museum, under the direc- 
of the U. S. Fish Commission, and there were 
shipped from four to five hundred tons of material. 
A great portion of this is displayed on screens 
or in handsome cases, so contrived as to be taken 
apart, and reduced to the smallest possible com- 
pass for packing. It would seem that every 
implement and every mode of capture that is, 
or has been employed by savage or civilized 
man within the limits of the United States, will 
be represented. For example, the oyster indus- 
try is illustrated by scores of specimens showing 
the different varieties of this palatable shell fish, 
the tongs, dredges and boats used in gathering 
oysters, and the banks (models) from which is 
taken. Various brands of canned oysters and 
beautiful, juicy looking fac-similes of oysters 
on the half shell, show the final results of the 
labors of the oysterman. The whale fishery is 
equally well illustrated, and it is enough to 
create sympathy for the poor whale, to see the 
manifold devices for killing him. 
Several large screens are completely filled 
with harpoons, running from the earliest to the 
latest, and from the simplest to the most compli- 
cated. There are harpoons thrown by hand, and 
fired from heavy swivel guns; harpoons with 
one barb, and with half a dozen; some that ex- 
plode upon entering the whale, and one that fires 
a bomb-lance into him; and finally, one designed 
to contain a bottle of Prussic acid, which breaks 
inside the whale and poisons him. And there 
are lances to match the harpoons, from the short 
ones used for killing seals and walruses, up to 
the murderous looking weapons five and six feet 
long, for searching out a Right Whale’s “ life.” 
There are no less than seven bomb guns, some of 
them finely finished breech-loaders, with the 
various missiles used in each. A full sized whale 
boat with complete outfit, and various models of 
whale ships give a very vivid idea of this occu- 
pation. This display is crowned by a "trophy” 
consisting of cutting in implements, surmounted 
by a crow’s nest with its occupant on the look- 
out. The cod and mackerel fisheries are repre- 
sented with great detail, and a fine series of 
models presents very clearly the evolution of the 
modern clipper schooner from the ancient “ketch.” 
Not only are the tools of the practical fisherman 
present, but also those of the sportsman, and the 
full series of rods and reels, hooks and lines, 
flies and spoons, threatens danger to every fish. 
An exhaustive series of large (30 by 40 inch) 
photographs depict every branch of marine in- 
dustry. Starting with the logs for a keel, we 
see the vessel on the stocks, at the wharf, on 
the way to the grounds, and finally returning 
well laden. Then there are pictures of the crew 
in port and at work, and of the varied processes 
the fish undergo. The fish themselves are repre- 
sented by figures, and by several hundred beau- 
tifully colored casts, perhaps the most interesting 
of these being a model of one of the gigantic 
squids, cast ashore on the coast of Newfoundland. 
Neither are the fishermen lacking, for a most 
attractive feature of the exhibit is the numerous 
life-like figures, accurately costumed, and em- 
ployed in their characteristic duties. The skipper 
of a Mackerelman is studying the patent log 
while near by is another scanning the horizon 
with his glass; hung from the wall is the bow of 
a whaleboat with the harpooner ready for a throw, 
and this is complemented by the bowspirit of a 
fishing boat on which stands a second harpooner 
on the lookout for swordfish. Side by side with 
the weapons for destroying fish are the various 
devices for their artificial propagation, and in ad- 
dition to the numerous specimens of the various 
utensils employed in fish hatching establishments, 
there are many working models showing exactly 
how they are used. The whole display forms a 
complete history of our fishing interests, the term 
being employed in its widest sense, and Ameri- 
cans may well feel proud of their portion of the 
London Exhibition. F. A. L. 
