422 LOWER VERTEBRATES. 



northward to the Ohio River, and even into New York. It prefers the more snndy 

 localities covered with pine, and is often called the ' pine-lizard.' It is a most active 

 animal, quickly scurrying away on being disturbed, and with such celerity that tlie 

 little reptile is in some localities called the 'swift.' Though elsewhere known as the 

 ' allisrator,' and ' brown-scorpion,' it is a most gentle and harmless animal, in con- 

 finement having many odd traits. When irritated it elevates its spinous scales, rap- 

 idly changes its color, and looks withal a most formidable antagonist. In its free 

 st.ate it may be often seen basking in the sun, on some old fence, or perhaps among the 

 loftv branches of some tall pine, being so rapid in its movements that it can be cap- 

 tured only under the most — to the collector — favorable circumstances. In its coloring 

 it is .a beautiful animal. The dark chestnut back is banded with half a dozen undu- 

 lating black strii)es, having along their posterior borders a jiair of light-gray blotches, 

 those of a side often becoming contiguous. The silvery abdomen is ornamented on 

 each side by a broad and elongated patch of a blue or green color, bordered with 

 black. The tail, which considerably exceeds the body in length, is slender, and of a 

 dusky color, banded transversely with black. 



The genus Via is of particular interest to American lierpetologists, from the fact 

 that it combines some of the characters of Scelojwrus, as the similar shielding of the 

 head, and in being provided with auditory apertures, with the general body seu- 

 tellation, neck-ring, and dis]iosition of pores of Uolbrookia. Via differs from both 

 jrenera, however, in havhig the scales of the tail much enlarged, calling to mind the 

 same appendage of Crotaphi/tus. 



Uta stansbm-iana, one of the most beautiful and graceful lacertilians peculiar to 

 North America, has the slender and elongated tail provided with large, vertically 

 arranged scales, and the lower surface of the neck with a transverse sub-lingular fold 

 in addition to the pectoral. The color above is blackish-brown, marbled with lighter 

 dots. Below it is of a uniform greenish-yellow, variegated with brownish-yellow 

 bands. Stansbury's uta has a wide distribution along the Pacific coast, Lower Cali- 

 fornia, the Sonoran region, Nevada, and the valley of the Great Salt Lake. Within 

 this territory are also found about half a dozen other members of the genus. 



Dij}sosauriis is another western genus, and has but a single species, D. dorsalig, 

 specimens of which have been captured along the Colorado and in Lower California. 

 On being surprised, this animal carries its body high above the ground, and, elevating 

 its tail like a squirrel, scampers over the sand to its burrow with great celerity. 



The genus Crotaphytus, which has the head covered with small jwlygonal plates, 

 the iaws, pterygoid, and palatine bones armed with teeth; the auditory aperture 

 broad ; the femurs provided with pores, and the tail extremely elongated, is peculiar 

 to North America, and resembles Uolbrookia in the general arrangement of the teeth, 

 and in having but a single occipital plate, though it differs in having the external 

 auditory apertures o]ien. C. collaris was the first published species, and was described 

 from specimens collected by members of Long's expedition. It is now known to in- 

 habit the central region of the West, as far north as 40°. It is one of the most 

 active species of the group, and is quite difficult to capture alive. Dr. Coues endeav- 

 ored to keeji several in confinement, but they proved untamable, and "not only 

 defended themselves with spirit and vigor, by biting when handled or irritated, but 

 sometimes assumed the offensive, leaping to attack to the full length of the cord 

 which confined them. Their behavior was in striking contrast to that of the horned 

 frogs picketed with them. The lizards lay sullen, but not cowed, watching every 



