1C>6 Streckei — Phrynosoma Cornutum and other Texas Lizards. 



versity of Chicago for information regarding a female horned 

 lizard that gave birth to young while in captivity. I wrote to 

 Mr. Adams and he sent my letter to A. G. Ruthven, Curator of 

 the Museum of the University of Michigan, who answered it as 

 follows: 



'Mr. Adams, of the University of Chicago, has forwarded to 

 me your letter of April 20 in regard to the horned toad. This 

 specimen is in our Museum here. It is a large example of P. 

 hernandesi and was taken in the Grand Canon of Colorado, near 

 Bright Angel Trail, on July 10, 1904. It was sent here alive 

 and on July 29, gave birth to 13 young. I am surprised that 

 you find that P. cornutum is oviparous. I was under the im- 

 pression that all the lizards of this genus gave birth to their 

 young alive." 



P. cornvtum is the only species whose habits I have had an 

 opportunity to study thoroughly, and since the publication of my 

 brief notes on this lizard I have received letters from a number 

 of naturalists who express their surprise to learn of its egg-laying 

 habit. The two sets of eggs mentioned in my notes were de- 

 scribed simply to show the difference in the habits of the animal 

 under different circumstances. In both cases the nests were 

 discovered while the females were at work. These sets were 

 merely two out of the dozen or more that have passed through 

 my hands, and in every instance but one the eggs were twenty- 

 four in number. A female, together with her eggs, has been 

 preserved in the University collection for a number of years. 

 The collector, a Baptist minister, informs me that when he first 

 discovered the nest, the lizard was in the act of depositing the 

 eggs and paid no attention to him, although he watched her 

 for several minutes. He then left, and on his return an hour 

 later, found her at work filling up the hole. 



The usual site selected for the nesting burrow is the base of 

 a, slanting bank of earth or sand. The hole seldom goes straight 

 down, but is usually dug at an angle of about 45 degrees. The 

 animal's fore-feet are used in digging while the hind-feet assist 

 in pushing the earth out of the burrow. As soon as one layer 

 of eggs has been deposited the lizard fills in around and over 

 them with earth and is ready for the next lot. In one nest 

 examined by me, the eggs were arranged in four layers of six 

 each. It is really marvelous how hard and firm the earth is 

 packed into the burrow. The period of incubation is about forty 



