134 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



[Mar., 



at the approach of the collector. In fact, had the object been the 

 securing of "tails" rather than lizards, the collecting would have 



been far more successful, since the small blue-tailed form, particularly, 



was prone to leave a tail wriggling in the collector's hand while its 



owner scurried to safety. 



Enough specimens were collected, however, to show practically 

 all of the stages usually recorded, from the small, black, brilliantly- 

 marked form with the clearly bifurcated median stripe to the large, 

 brown, red-headed stage with the plain brownish coloration, broad 

 head and obsolete bands: 



The specimens naturally varied much in size as well as in colora- 

 tion, the smallest taken being 92 mm. long while the largest measured 

 237 mm. The coloration of the ventral surface of the body and head 

 seemed to vary according to the colors shown by the dorsal region. 

 For example, in the distinctly five-lined form, in which the dorsal 



6333 

 63 39 



6336 



63 32 

 63 34 

 63 35 

 63 38 



Fig. 4. — Plestiodon quinquelineatus Linn. 



surface was nearly black, the ventral surface of the head and throat 

 was usually tinged or mottled with blue, while in the older brown 

 specimens with the brown dorsum and red head, the sides of the 

 head generally showed a tinge of orange and the white of the under 

 surface was permeated with red or yellow rather than with blue. 

 The belly in both forms was usually bluish, with the plates around 

 the vent approaching white. Although the size varied considerably, 

 the relative length of the body parts was remarkably constant, 

 except in the width of the head, which is of course unusually broad 

 in the older males. 



The scale and plate arrangement of the Okefinokee specimens 

 varied but little. The supraorbitals usually showed six plates; 

 the superior marginal plates of the orbit nine, of which the middle 

 three or four were often very narrow; the superior labials seven or 

 eight, the most posterior being the largest. All of the specimens 

 but one, however, showed two large distinct occipital plates, rather 



