Scientific American Supplement, Vol. XV., No. 388, June 9, 1883 by Various

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"The Indians have a great fear that these animals produce at will
good or bad weather, and will not molest them. Many times they
have come to see them, and told us that we should let them go or
they would talk to the storm spirit and send wind and water and
fire upon us. An old Indian I once talked with told me of another
who was bitten on the hand, and said it swelled up the arm badly,
but he recovered. From some reason we never find specimens less
than 12 or 14 inches long, I never saw a young one. There is a
nice stuffed specimen, 18 inches long, in our museum here."

Sir John Lubbock's specimen, shown in the engraving herewith, for
which we are indebted to the London _Field_, is about 19 inches in
length. Its general color is a creamy buff, with dark brown markings.
The forepart of the head and muzzle is entirely dark, the upper eyelid
being indicated by a light stripe. The entire body is covered with
circular warts. It is fed upon eggs, which it eats greedily.

It would be interesting to know whether the northern specimens, if
venomous at all, are as fully equipped with poison bags and fangs as
Dr. Gunther finds the Mexican specimen to be. Some of our Western or
Mexican readers may be able to make comparative tests. Meantime it
would be prudent to limit the use of the "monster" as a children's
pet.

The foregoing appeared in the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN of Oct. 7, 1882.

We are now indebted to a correspondent, Mr. Wm. Y. Beach, of the Grand
View Mine, Grant County, Southern Arizona, for a fine specimen of this
singular reptile, just received alive. The example sent to us is about
twenty inches long, and answers very well to the description of the
monster and the engraving above given.

In the course of an hour after opening the box in which the reptile
had been confined during its eight days' journey by rail, it became
very much at home, stretching and crawling about our office floor with
much apparent satisfaction.

Our correspondent is located in the mountains, some nine miles distant
from the Gila River. He states that the reptile he sends was found in
one of the shops pertaining to the mine, which had been left
unoccupied for a week or so.

Apropos to the foregoing, we have received the following letter from
another correspondent in Arizona:

_To the Editor of the Scientific American:_

My attention has been called to an article in your issue of Oct.
7, 1882, relating to the _Heloderma horridum_, or commonly known
as the Gila Monster.

During a residence of ten years in Arizona I have had many
opportunities of learning the habits of these reptiles, and I am
satisfied their bite will produce serious effects, if not death,
of the human race. I know of one instance where a gentleman of my
acquaintance by the name of Bostick, at the Tiga Top mining camp,
in Arizona, was bitten on the fingers, and suffered all the
symptoms of poison from snake bite. He was confined to his bed for
six weeks and subsequently died. I am of the opinion his death was
in part caused by the effects of the poison of the Gila Monster.

The Hualzar Indians are very much afraid of them, and one I showed
the picture to of the Monster in your paper remarked, "Chinamuck,"
which in Hualzar language means "very bad." He said if an Indian
is bitten, he sometimes dies.

I have seen them nearly two feet in length. Never, to my
knowledge, are they kept as pets in our portion of Arizona. They
live on mice and other small animals, and when aggravated can jump
several times their length.

W.E. DAY, M.D.

Huckberry, Mahone Co., Ar. T., April, 1883.

* * * * *

THE KANGAROO.

_To the Editor of the Scientific American:_

In page 69 of your issue of 3d of February, 1883, I notice among the
"Challenger Notes" of Professor Mosely the statement that "Among
stockmen, and even some well educated people in Australia, there is a
conviction that the young kangaroo grows out as a sort of bud on the
teat of the mother within the pouch." Some eighteen months ago I
noticed a paragraph wherein some learned professor was reported to
have set at rest the contested point as to whether the kangaroo come
into being in the same manner as the calves of the cow and other
mammals, or whether the young grows, as alleged, upon the teat of its
dam within the pouch. The learned professor in question asserted that
it did not so grow upon the teat; but, with all due respect to the
professor's claim to credibility on other matters, I must in this
instance take the liberty of stating that he is in error. The young
kangaroo actually oozes out, if I may use such an expression, from the
teat. Strange as the statement may seem, it is a fact that the first
indication of life on the part of the kangaroo offspring is a very
slight eruption, in size not larger than an ordinary pin head. This
growth gradually resolves itself into the form of the marsupial, and
is not detached until close upon the expiring of of the fourth month.
It is carried by the mother during that period, and thenceforth exists
partially at least on herbage. Indeed, from the fourth till the
seventh month it is almost constantly in the pouch, only coming out
occasionally toward the close of evening to crop the grass. I had at
one time in my possession a specimen of the kangaroo germ which I cut
from off the teat, complete in form, whose entire weight was less than
an ounce; and, at the same time, I had a kangaroo in my possession
which measured seven feet six inches from the top of the ears to the
extremity of the tail.

Your readers would doubtless feel interested with a few particulars as
to my life among the kangaroos in a genuine kangaroo country. I have
read somewhere about the exceeding beauty of the eyes of the gazelle;
how noted hunters have alleged that their nature so softened on
looking into the animal's eyes that they (the hunters) had no heart to
destroy the creature. Now, I have never seen a gazelle, and so cannot
indulge in comparisons; but if their eyes are more beautiful than
those of a middle-aged kangaroo, they may indeed be all that huntsmen
say of them. With respect to the old kangaroos, their eyes and face
are simply atrocious in their repulsive ugliness.

Nothing in nature could surpass the affection which the female
kangaroo manifests for her young. There is something absolutely
touching in the anxious solicitude displayed by the dam while the
young ones are at play. On the least alarm the youngster instantly
ensconces himself in the pouch of his gentle mother, and should he, in
the exuberance of his joy, thrust his head out from his place of
refuge, it is instantly thrust back by his dam. I have, on several
occasions, by hard riding, pressed a doe to dire extremity, and it has
only been when hope had entirely forsaken her, or when her capture was
inevitable, that she has reluctantly thrown out the fawn. Their method
of warfare has often reminded me of the style of two practiced
pugilists, the aim of each being to firmly gripe his opponent by the
shoulder, upon accomplishing which, the long hind leg, with its horny
blade projecting from its toe, comes into formidable play. It is
lifted and drawn downward with a rapid movement, and one or other of
the combatants soon shows the entrails laid bare, which is usually the
_grand finale_. The sparring that takes place between the marsupials
while trying to get the advantageous gripe is marvelous--I had almost
said scientific; for the style and rapidity of the animals' movements
might excite the admiration of the Tipton Slasher.

Strangely enough, these animals have their social distinctions almost
as well defined as in the case of the human species. Thus, one herd
will not, on any consideration, associate with another; each tribe has
its rendezvous for morning and evening reunions, and each its leader
or king, who is the first to raise an alarm on the approach of danger,
and the first to lead the way, whether in ignominious retreat,
confronting a recognized foe, or standing at bay. These leaders are
generally extremely cunning, one old stager with whom I was intimately
acquainted having baffled all attempts to effect its capture for more
than ten months. I got him at last by a stratagem. He had a knack of
always keeping near a flock of sheep, and on the approach of the dogs
dodged among them.

By this means he had always succeeded in effecting his escape, and
more than that, this noble savage had actually drowned several of our
best dogs, for, if at any time a dog came upon him at a distance from
the sheep flocks, he would make for a neighboring swamp, on nearing
which he has been known to turn round upon the pursuing dog, seize
him, and carry him for some distance right into the swamp, and then
thrust the dog's head under water, holding him there till he was
drowned. It was amusing to see how some of our old knowing warrior
dogs gave him best when they noticed that he was approaching a flock
of sheep, well remembering, from former experience, that it was of no
use trying to get him on that occasion, and that when near the water
the attempt at his capture was both dangerous and impracticable.

If you take a new and inexperienced dog into your hunt after an old
man, he invariably gets his throat ripped up, or is otherwise
maltreated until well used to the sport. After a dog has had one
season's experience he becomes a warrior, and it is a wonderfully
clever kangaroo that can scratch him after he has attained that
position. The young recruit, if we may so speak of a dog who has never
had any practice, is over-impetuous, rushing into the treacherous
embraces of the close hugger somewhat unadvisedly, and is fortunate if
he escapes with his life as a penalty for his rashness. The dog of
experience always gripes his marsupial adversary by the butt end of
the tail, close to the rump, or at its juncture with the spinal
vertebrae. Once the dog has thrown his kangaroo, he makes for the
throat, which he gripes firmly, while at the same time he is careful
to keep his own body as far as he conveniently can from the quarry's
dangerous hind quarters. In this position dog and kangaroo work round
and round for some time until one or the other of the combatants is
exhausted. It is noteworthy that the kangaroo will only make use of
its sharp teeth in cases of the direst extremity. On such occasions,
however, it must be conceded that the bite is one of a most formidable
character--one not to be any means underrated or despised.

Should those few incidents prove of sufficient interest in your
estimation, I may state that I shall willingly, at some future time,
forward you particulars of the "ways peculiar" of the emirs,
bandicoots, wombats, opossums, and other remarkable animals, the
observance of which formed almost my sole amusement during a rather
lengthy sojourn in the bush of South Australia.

SEPTIMUS FREARSON.

Adelaide, S.A., April, 1883.

* * * * *

JAPANESE PEPPERMINT.

In more than one periodical the botanical name of this plant has been
given as Mentha arvensis, var. purpurascens. It will be well,
therefore, to point out that this is an error before the statement is
further copied and the mistake perpetuated. The plant has green
foliage, with not a trace of purple, and less deserves the name
purpurascens than the true peppermint (Mentha piperita), of which a
purplish leaved form is well known. The mistake probably arose in the
first place in a printer's error. The history is as follows:

For some years past a large quantity of a substance called menthol has
been imported into this country, and extensively used as a topical
application for the relief of neuralgia, and in some instances as an
antiseptic. This substance in appearance closely resembles Epsom
salts, and consists of crystals deposited in the oil of peppermint
distilled from the Japanese peppermint plant. This oil, when separated
from the crystals, is now largely used to flavor cheap peppermint
lozenges, being less expensive than the English oil. The crystals
deposit naturally in the oil upon keeping, but the Japanese extract
the whole of it by submitting the oil several times in succession to a
low temperature, when all the menthol crystallizes out from the oil
and falls to the bottom of the vessel. The source of the Japanese
peppermint oil has been stated to be Mentha arvensis, var. javanica.
On examining several specimens of this plant in our national herbaria
I found that the leaves tasted like those of the common garden mint
(Mentha viridis), and not at all like peppermint, and that therefore
the oil and menthol could not possibly be derived from this plant.

I then asked my friend, Mr. T. Christy, who takes great interest in
medicinal plants, to endeavor to get specimens from Japan of the plant
yielding the oil. After many vain attempts, he at last succeeded in
obtaining live plants. These were cultivated in his garden at Malvern
House, Sydenham, and when they flowered I examined the plant and found
that it differed from other forms of M. arvensis in the taste, in the
acuminate segments of the calyx of the flower, and in the longer leaf
stalks; the leaves also taper more toward the base. Dr. Franchet, the
greatest living authority on Japanese plants, to whom I sent
specimens, confirmed my opinion as to the variety deserving a special
name, and M. Malinvaud, a well known authority on mints, suggested the
name piperascens, which I adopted, calling the plant Mentha arvensis,
var. piperascens. Specimens of the plant kindly lent by Mr. Christy
for the purpose were exhibited by me at an evening meeting of the
Linnaean Society, and by a printer's error in the report of the remarks
then made, the name of the plant appeared in print as Mentha arvensis,
var. purpurascens.

I trust that the present note, through the medium of _The Garden_,
will prevent the perpetuation of this error. This is the more
important, as I hope that the plant will come into cultivation in this
country. It is a robust plant of rapid growth, as easily cultivated as
the English peppermint, and seems to require less moisture, and is
therefore capable of cultivation in a great variety of localities. The
increasing demand for menthol, which can only be procured in small
quantities from the English peppermint, and the high price of English
peppermint oil, lead to the hope that instead of importing menthol
from Japan, it will be prepared in this country from the Japanese
plant.

With the appliances of more advanced civilization, it ought to be
possible for the oil and menthol to be made in this country at less
price than the Japanese products now cost.

At the present time large quantities of cheap peppermint oil are
imported into this country from the United States, and Chinese oil is
imported into Bombay for use in the Government medical stores. There
is no reason why this should be the case if the Japanese plant were
cultivated in this country. In Ireland, where labor is cheap and the
climate moist, this crop might afford a valuable source of income to
enterprising cultivators. It may be interesting to note here that the
plant used in China closely resembles the Japanese one, differing
chiefly in the narrower and more glabrous leaves. I have therefore
named it Mentha arvensis f. glabrata, from specimens sent to me from
Hong Kong, by Mr. C. Ford, the director of the Botanic Gardens there.

E.M. HOLMES.

* * * * *

GLADIOLUS.

The gladiolus is easily raised from seeds, which should be sown in
early spring in pots of rich soil placed in heat, the pots being kept
near the glass after they begin to grow, and the plants being
gradually hardened to permit their being placed out of doors in a
sheltered spot for the summer. In October they will have ripened off,
and must be taken out of the soil and stored in paper bags in a dry
room secure from frost. They will have made little bulbs, from the
size of a hazel nut downward, according to their vigor. In the
subsequent spring they should be planted like the old bulbs, and the
larger ones will flower during the season, while the smaller specimens
must be again harvested and planted out as above described.

* * * * *

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