REPTILES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 115 



times slightly washed with gray. There are no definite 

 longitudinal lines on the belly in the specimens which 

 I have seen, but two specimens have indications of them 

 between the rows of scales. 



Length to aniis 37 88 91 98 105 120 



Snont to ear 9 19 19 22 23 26 



Width of head 6 14 14 17 18 21 



Head to iuteroccipital 8 15 16 18 19 20 



Fore limb 10 24 24 25 31 32 



Hiud limb 14 33 33 37 36 43 



Base of fifth to end of fourth toe 5 12 -12 14 14 15 



Distribution. — The Mountain Alligator Lizard has 

 been found only at high altitudes (5,000 to 9,000 feet) 

 on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada of Tuolumne, 

 Mariposa, Fresno, and Tulare Counties, and at a slightly 

 lower level (Fyflfe 3,700 feet) in El Dorado County. It 

 has been recorded from various localities along the 

 Kern, Kaweah, and King's Rivers and is common in 

 the Yosemite Valley. 



Habits. — This species is common near the Little Kern 

 River. Here it hides behind the loose bark of the great 

 pines. Like other members of the genus, it usually 

 moves slowly and seems to have much curiosity. Near 

 the Yosemite Valley it mates about the middle of June. 



Family V. ANNIELLID^. 



This family, which is confined to California, contains 

 a single genus of strongly degraded lizards. The body 

 is cylindrical and snake-like, without strongly marked 

 neck or tail. There are no external traces of limbs, but 

 a rudimentary pelvis remains. The tongue is thick, 

 with a thinner, smooth, deeply notched anterior por- 

 tion. The teeth are few, but large and curved. Thin 

 osteodermal plates are present. 



