138 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



to break up into different lengths on being strnck or 

 roughly handled, there is no doubt that the popular notion 

 is correct. Two-thirds or more of the Glass Snake is 

 tail. Many of our lizards drop their tails on being caught 

 to free themselves. The tail thus lost is reproduced. The 

 Glass Snake when struck or captured may sunder its tail 

 into a number of wriggling pieces, and while the aston- 

 ished observer stands viewing the wreck, the head and 

 body may skip away to a place of safety. In order that 

 all these pieces might unite again to form the remodeled 

 lizard, they w^ould have to be fitted together in their 

 proper order, and with the ends turned in the proper 

 direction; the half dozen or more conical muscles which 

 project from the ends of the pieces would have to be 

 interdigitated accurately; the nerves and blood vessels 

 would need to come into juxtaposition; and then all the 

 torn surfaces unite by "immediate union" so Cjuickly and 

 effectively that the animal can go about its business. This 

 clearly shows the fallacy of the popular motion. (Hay.) 



The Joint Snake is mostly found in dry meadows, on 

 hilly sides with southern exposure. It feeds on ground 

 spiders, grasshoppers, crickets, cock-roaches, coleopterous 

 and lepidopterous larvae, and small snails. Sometimes 

 the large intestine is packed with fragments of coleoptera. 

 In confinement it feeds readily, taking even insects from 

 the hand of its master. 



Dr. George Engelmann sent three specimens to the 

 Smithsonian Collection, No. 3193, and two. No. 5131. 



Dates of capture. — June 21 ; Aug. 7 ; Sept. 15. 

 Family Tetidae. 



Tongue long, bifid, with squamiform papillae. Teeth solid, pleuro- 

 dont. Head pyramidal, v/ith large, regularly disposed plates above. 

 One pair of supranasal plates. Nostril opening in the midst of a plate, 

 or between two plates. Scales of the back granulate or carinate; scales 

 on abdomen large. A xiphisternal fontanel; premaxillary single; clav- 

 icles dilated proximally; mesosternum cross-shaped. (Garman.) 



