VOL. XIV, 1 

 1. J 



1891. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



411 



For coiuparisou with Smiromalus hispidus I give the following table 

 of details aud ineasiiremeuts : 



Sauromalus ater. 



*Abcut. 



In all probability the young of Sauromalus hispidus is much less 

 spiny than the old ones, but the scales would be much larger than in 

 corresponding specimens of S. ater and their number consequently 

 smaller. 



There is in our collection a medium-sized specimen of a Sauromalus 

 collected by Mr. L. Belding on Espiritu Santo Island, at La Paz, near 

 the southern extremity of the peninsula of Lower California (U. S. 

 National Museum No. 12633), the true position of which I am not yet 

 prepared to state, as I do not know whether it is fully adult or not. It 

 is smooth like S. ater, but the relative size of the scales is somewhat 

 larger, though not so large as in S. his2)idus. It would be very inter- 

 esting to receive a series of specimens from that locality. 



Mr. Belding also states (West American Scientist, iii, April, 1887, 

 p. 97) that he found a Sauromalus at Guaymas, Mexico, but not having 

 seen a specimen I can say nothing as to its specific identity. 



It has long been suspected that these huge lizards live on vegetable 

 food, in fact. Dr. Streets' statement {I. c.) as to the nature of their ex- 

 cretpe made it almost certain, but, to remove all doubt, I had the stom- 

 ach of one of the large specimens (collected by Mr. Townseud) opened, 

 aud Prof. W. B. Barrows, of the TJ. S. Department of Agriculture, had 

 the kindness to submit the contents to one of the experts in that line 

 for examination. He reports that the contents are exclusively vegeta- 

 ble and that the numerous seeds are those of a malvaceous plant, prob- 

 ably Sphceralcea hastulata. 



