THE LIZARDS 153 



cite the lizard, which puffed up to such an extent that 

 the eyes bulged. Then, without warning, a jet of blood 

 as fine as a hair, shot from what appeared to be the 

 corner of one of its eyes, striking a wall fully five feet 

 away, where it was distributed in a shower of tiny 

 drops. After this amazing exhibition the lizard was 

 turned loose. Running about as if nothing unusual 

 had happened, it was feeding within a few hours. Sub- 

 sequently, the writer noted the performance with speci- 

 mens of the Mexican Horned Lizard, P. orbiculare. 



Most familiar of the species is the Texas Horned 

 Lizard, P. comutum. It is the proverbial horned 

 "toad" brought East by the tourist, while it is the most 

 widely distributed and abundant of any of its genus, 

 ranging as far eastward and northward as Missouri, 

 abounding throughout the greater part of Texas and 

 extending all the way westward to eastern California. 

 The head spines are large; there are two rounded cen- 

 tral spines directed rather sharply upward; besides these 

 there are three spines on each temple. The body is 

 very flat and round, with a short, thin tail. The out- 

 lines are in strong contrast to the preceding, elongated 

 species. From behind the head and nearly to the end 

 of the tail is a bright yellow band; on each side of this 

 are three large, round blotches that are dark and bor- 

 dered at their rear edges with a yellow crescent. Each 

 shoulder is marked with a large and similar blotch. 



The greater number of captive horned lizards die 

 because they are not kept warm enough or given suf- 

 ficient sun. They should be placed in a fair-sized box 

 on the bottom of which are several inches of fine, dry 

 sand. The box should be placed in the sunlight for 

 several hours each day; while it is there the lizards 

 should be fed. They seldom take food unless warmed 



