30 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



Habitat and Habits. — The blue-tailed skink is a common lizard in many 

 parts of Ohio. In general, it might be said it is most abundant in some of 

 the northwestern counties where former patches of swamp forest are now in 

 evidence solely as rotting stumps and logs. It appears to be least common 

 in eastern Ohio, especially in the dry hills and the counties in which coal 

 mining is a major industry. 



Practically every specimen collected was in a moist environment. None 

 were found in swamps or in areas which are subject to severe spring floodings, 

 but nearly every one taken was in or under some damp object. A favorite 

 hiding place was under the bark of decaying logs or stumps; rotting sawdust 

 piles were often well populated with them. When exposed to the light, as a 

 result of their shelter being opened or pulled away, these lizards either scam- 

 pered rapidly away or sought to burrow into the wood pulp or loose earth 

 upon which they were resting. Individuals driven from cover, and those 

 which were discovered in the open, almost invariably tried to hide under near- 

 by objects, even the collector's feet. Some individuals appeared to have spe- 

 cific retreats, from which they foraged when the coast was clear, but to which 

 they speedily returned when frightened. Thus a specimen living in a tangled 

 mass of bark slabs on an old sawdust pile in Hardin County darted over the 

 same route to its refuge each time some one passed. The instinct to return to a 

 certain spot appears to be well developed, for skinks several times darted 

 directly toward or past a collector in order to reach their abodes. 



Specimens were rarely found far from the ground. They sometimes 

 climbed upon the objects which formed their homes but when pursued they 

 almost invariably dashed down from them. Even in southern Ohio where the 

 many trees and rocks offer excellent opportunities for climbing, skinks of this 

 species were found only on or near the ground. While far too few specimens 

 were collected in this area to warrant the making of definite statements, it can 

 at least be said that all the individuals found were in the ravines and none 

 were on the hilltops. None were seen in trees or on cliffs such as were in- 

 habited by swifts and large-headed skinks. 



Individuals almost always tried to bite when they were seized, but their 

 teeth are so small that they did not break the skin. Their smooth, shiny 

 scales make them difficult objects to hold and their quick, almost machine-like 

 movements require the collector to be agile and alert. The tail is easily broken 

 and must often be detached by natural enemies judging from the many speci- 

 mens which were found with broken or partially regenerated tails. 



Skinks appear to be strictly diurnal; specimens were seen abroad only on 

 warm, sunny days. When it was cloudy or cool, or if it were early morning or 

 twilight, they were found only in their various hiding places. Specimens were 

 collected from April to September and the seasonal distribution through the 

 summer months was fairly even. A small individual was discovered near Mt. 

 Victory, Hardin County, on January 22, 1933, under a log. The surrounding 

 area was covered with several inches of water and the under surface of the 

 log was decidedly soggy. The temperature was about 60° F. at the time. 

 Garter snakes (Thamnophis butleri, T. s. sauritus and T. s. sirtalis), milk 



