168 Streckei — Phrynosoma Cornvtum and other Texas Lizards. 



our species than with any of the others. An old superstition 

 among the country people and negroes, is to the effect that when 

 a horned toad "spits" blood, its bite is " suah " death. 



Some years ago a friend brought me a dead hawk (Bvteo 11- 

 nedtus alleni) that he had found lying out on the prairie west of 

 the city, it was greatly emaciated and there was considerable 

 dry blood on the feathers of the throat and breast. On skinning 

 it I found no shot wounds, but when I made a careful examina- 

 tion of the carcass I found that it had swallowed two horned 

 lizards and that one of the occipital horns of one of these had 

 penetrated the bird's trachea. 



The breeding habits of Sceloporus spinosus Wiegrnann are sub- 

 ject to considerable variation. I have found five sets of the eggs 

 of this species and a detailed description of the location of each 

 one may not be amiss. 



Set A. In a timbered tract where fallen trees were scarce. 

 The four eggs were buried in the hard ground in a level space 

 near the foot of a large oak tree. Depth of hole, 5 inches. When 

 discovered the female had almost finished rilling the hole, and 

 was using her fore-feet to press the earth down. 



Sets B and C were deposited in small hollows scooped out un- 

 der the ends of fallen trees. Both hollows were very shallow 

 and the eggs were less than an inch below the surface of the 

 ground. Female lizards present in both cases. Sets of eight 

 eggs each. 



Set D (eight eggs) was under the loose bark of a fallen tree, 

 while set E (four eggs) was found in a hollow rotten log. 



These sets were all found in districts where no other species of 

 tree lizard occurs. In my experience, I have always found the fe- 

 male Sceloporus near her eggs, and 1 have every reason to believe 

 that she cares for the young for some time after they are hatched. 



The female Cnemidophorus gularis usually scoops outashallow 

 hollow in the sand and deposits her eggs to a depth of only an 

 inch or two, but on the grassy Hats where there is no sand 1 

 have found them buried in the soft earth at the foot of a mes- 

 quite tree, to a depth of four 01" five inches. The eggs of this 

 species are from 8 to 12 in number. The following is a detailed 

 color description of an adult male specimen of Cnemidophorus 

 gularis during the breeding season: 



