14 ON THE ZOOLOGICAL POSITION OF TEXAS. 



that family enter tlie extreme limits of the United States at other i)oints, 

 i. e., Arizona and Florida. I found it rather abundantly in the rocky 

 hills of the first plateau northwest of San Antonio, but did not observe 

 it in that region north of that point either on the Guadalupe or Llano. 

 It is found in holes under stones, towards evening, and generally in 

 pairs, a ijeculiarity I have not observed in any other lizard. Its man- 

 ners are also peculiar. It carries its thick tail coiled vertically on one 

 side of its back like the spitz dog. Its movements are quick but feeble, 

 and its short legs forbid the sj^eed of other lizards. Coleonyx is one of 

 the few genera of GecGonidcv which have eyelids, and as these are thick, 

 and their movement in winking is slower than in other lizards, the 

 physiognomy is quite peculiar. When handled, this species chirrups 

 and squeals feebly like a singing mouse. One specimen which I took 

 w^as about to shed its skin, so I placed it in a jar to observe the process. 

 This took place in the night, for next morning it was so clean and its 

 color so bright, that it looked as though gotten up for some special occa- 

 sion. As no trace of the skin could be found, I sujipose that it ate it, 

 after the manner of the Batracliia. In life, the colors are very elegant; 

 the pale cross-bands are citron yellow, and the brown ones bright chest- 

 nut. The inferior surfaces and all parts of the limbs are flesh or rose 

 color. 



Anolis xmiicipalis L. This is a species of the low country, and I did 

 not observe it in the hills of the plateau region. Mr. Boll has found it 

 near Dallas, and I took it on the Brazos, in Washington County. Mr. 

 Marnock informs me that it is abundant in the region south of San 

 Antonio. 



Crotaphytus collaris Say. I found this species common in the rocks 

 and open woods of the plateau country from near San Antonio to Mason 

 County, north of Llano Eiver, or as far as my observation extended. 

 In the northern part of the State, according to Boll, it first begins to be 

 abundant near Weatherford, longitude 97° 50', and extends westward. 

 This gentleman has never seen it in the cretaceous region of Fort Worth 

 and Dallas. It runs very swiftly, carrying the tail over its back, like 

 Holhrooliia texana and various other iguanian lizards. 



HolhrooTiia propinqua Baird. Professor .Baird has well distinguished 

 the species of HolbrooMa by the form of the tail, the length of the hind 

 foot, and the coloration. I give short diagnoses of the four species X 

 met with in Texas, adding some characters derived from the scuta. 



I. Tail flatteued, louger tliau head aud body. 



Hind foot one-lialf leugtli of body; tail Avitli black spots below; male with black 

 crescents on, the sides _ R. texana. 



