Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 259 



4. 6 inches long. Stripes very obscure. Head of a uni- 

 form pale brown color. Width equal to distance from 

 snout to posterior margin of interparietal. 



5. 7.50 inches long. Median stripe lacking, color of back 

 uniform brown, lateral stripes nearly wanting. Head 

 brown, width equal to distance from snout to middle 

 of first occipital plates. 



6. 9 50 inches long. No stripes, pale grayish brown above. 

 Head pale red, width equal to distance from snout to 

 posterior margin of the occipital plates. 



The last is evidently an aged example, and lacks the pro- 

 jecting scales commonly present in younger examples at the 

 anterior margin of the ear-opening. The species is active, run- 

 ning with equal address on the ground or on trees, though 

 perhaps it is less commonly seen on the latter than the brown 

 swift. When captured with the hand it attempts to bite, but 

 is not, as far as my experience goes, able to do serious harm. 



Oligosoma, Girard, 



Girard, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1857, p. 196. 



Body fusiform, cylindrical. Head short, pyramidal. No 

 supranasal plates. Lower eyelid with a central transparent 

 portion. Ear-opening large, with no projecting scales at its 

 anterior margin. Scales smooth, of medium size. Tail cylin- 

 drical and tapering. Toes 5-5. 



Oligosoma laterale, Say. Ground Lizard. 



Scincvs lateralis, Say, Long's Exped. to Rocky Mts., 1823, II., 



p. 324. 

 Lygosofna lateralis; Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen. V., 1839, p. 719.— 



Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, II., p. 133, pi. 19. 

 Mocoa lateralis, Gray, Cat. Spec. Lizards in Coll. Brit. Mus., 1845, 



p. 83. 

 Oligosoma laterale, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist. 

 I., No. 5, 1883, p. 46; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883. 



Small; total length about four and a quarter inches. Body 

 cylindrical. Head small; snout short: superciliary region con- 

 vex. Ear-opening large, exposing the tympanum. Scales 



