XII. THE REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS OF THE ISLE OF 



PINES. 



By Thomas Barbour. 

 (Plate XXVIII.) 



Introductory. 



This paper is based upon material from three sources: First, a very 

 extensive and thorough collection made by Mr. G. A. Link of the 

 Carnegie Museum during a long stay upon the island; unfortunately 

 Mr. Link preserved his material in formalin, so that in many cases 

 the condition of the specimens is far from being of the best. Second, 

 an interesting series submitted to me by Dr. Leonhard Stejneger, 

 collected by Messrs. Palmer and Riley at Nueva Gerona; this col- 

 lection is not extensive, but is in an excellent state of preservation. 

 Third, a series collected by Winthrop S. Brooks, Senor V. J. Rodriguez, 

 and myself during a short visit to the Isle of Pines in March, 191 5. 

 Upon this occasion the weather was favorable and we obtained a large 

 number of different species of reptiles, our efforts being to procure as 

 many species as possible in a short time, without attempting to secure 

 very many individuals, and especially to get some notes upon the 

 colors in life of certain of the species, notably those of the genus Anolis, 

 for in some of these creatures the colors in life have considerable 

 taxonomic importance. 



The Isle of Pines lies about sixty miles south of the Province of 

 Havana, Western Cuba, and may be reached by proceeding to Bata- 

 bano by rail, and then taking a small steamer, which brings one after a 

 delightful night's sail to either the port of Jucaro or Nueva Gerona, 

 the capital. The island is roughly thirty by forty miles in extent, 

 about the size of the State of Rhode Island, containing some twelve 

 hundred and fifty square miles. It is divided into two parts by a 

 large swamp " La Cienaga." I quote in this connection from Mr. 

 Zappey's field notes, given in " The Birds of the Isle of Pines " by 

 Bangs and Zappey {American Naturalist, Vol. XXXIX, 1905, p. 182): 



" The land south of the Cienaga is of coral formation with a very 

 shallow soil spread over the coral rock, and with deep holes or pits 



297 



