Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1889 — Musical Lizards. [ARTICLE]

Musical Lizards.

As is well known, lizards of all colors and sizes abound in Italy. They lie basking I 'on all the stones, they run along all the walls, they peep out of every chink and crevice; but as I soon as they hear the faintest noise they disappear with lightning speed, and it is ham to see them near aud to observe them closely. Walking carelessly, and noticing the dear little . animals darting now here, now there, i I remembered the Greek statue of Apollo Sauroktonos, who is always i ■ represented as busied with a lizard— j Apollo, god of the sun and of music. 1 “Suppose I try,” I thought, and softly, 1 quite softly, I began to whistle a dreamy old German air, and behold! a lizard lies still, as though rooted to | tho spot, raising his little he ul in a listening attitude, and looking at me ring I continued my melody. The lizard _ came nearer and nearer, and approached quite close, always listening and forgetting all its fears. As soon, however, as the whistler made the smallest movement it Vanished into some crevice, but to peep forth again a moment after and to listen once more, as though entirely entranced. A delightful discovery, truly, and one of which I extended the field of observa- i tion daily. At least as many as eight or nine of these little music lovers would sit around me in the most comic attitudes. Nay,two of them, a mother and its young one, would sit awaiting me as I arrived whistling at the same hour of day, sitting on a large Btone, under which was probably their home. With these, too, I made some further experiments. After having made music to them a while I cautiously f went a few steps further, whistling on in soft, drawling tone, such as I had found they best loved to hear, and see, verily, they followed me! Watching them with interest, I continued to wkistlo as I walked on slowly, halting every few paces and being silent when I baited, and truly the little creatures followed, slowly it is triie, but in a straight line, at a distance of about fifteen steps, until at last, unhappily, the heavy tread of a peasant put them to flight But my experiment had lasted long enough to make me understand the Apollo Sauroktonos, and I once more reverenced the keen native observation of those old Hellenes. Besides this the legend of the “Rat Catcher of Hamelin” suddenly became much more credible.—Leisure Hour.