The Plated Lizards and Snake-like Species 



East it is common from North Carolina to Florida. In the cen- 

 tral portion of the United States, however, it occurs in Nebraska 

 (its western limit of distribution), Wisconsin and Illinois. It 

 e.xtends southward through Texas and into northern Mexico. 



Habits. — That the Glass "Snake" is able, after being shat- 

 tered into many fragments, to collect itself together again and 

 continue to exist as before the injury, is an old, but wholly 

 erroneous idea. The species is odd only from the fact that a 

 true lizard can be so destitute of crawling appendages. Its 

 habits are quite ordinary, despite the eccentric form. 



Like the character observed among many lizards to a more 

 or less marked degree, the Glass "Snake" may readily divest 

 itself of its tail in case of erhergency. As it happens with this 

 particular species, the body parts with the tail with more facility 

 than is noted among most lizards. The reptile cannot be ap- 

 propriately described as "brittle" for the loss of the tail is largely 

 \oluntarily and in many instances permits the lizard to make 

 its escape from an enemy, and ultimately grow a new, though 

 abbreviated caudal appendage. 



When pursued, this creature glides away at anything but 

 a rapid gait as compared to the dash of most lizards. It stands 

 but little chance of escape by ordinary flight. Let us suppose 

 the creature to be pursued by a very common enemy — the king 

 snake. As the pursuer overtakes his prey, he grasps it at once. 

 There is a sudden, twisting movement on the part of the Glass 

 "Snake," and the victor finds that the smooth, scaly length 

 he holds in his jaws is so vigorous that it requires much atten- 

 tion, for it twists and wriggles with great energy. Swallowing 

 all his prey head first, the cannibal works his jaws along the 

 victim to engulf it from such a position, when, after much 

 manoeuvring with the writhing quarry, the snake stops in some 

 embarrassment. There is no head. The object that has 

 engaged so much attention is simply the long tail of the lizard 

 and the abbreviated owner has glided to safety. 



Rather retiring in habits, the Glass "Snake" spends much 

 of its time in burrowing. Its food consists of earthworms, slugs, 

 and the larvae of insects. When prowling it sometimes ransacks 

 the nest of some small bird that builds upon the ground, and 

 breaking the egg-shells with its strong jaws, laps up the con- 

 tents wifh the fiat, bluntly forked tongue. 



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