SU 8. TEIIDM 



Habits. — This species lives on the open desert and sage 

 brush plains over which it runs with great swiftness. The 

 sand banks near Needles are covered with its tracks, which 

 end in the holes made by small mammals. Although this liz- 

 ard usually remains on the ground Richardson occasionally 

 observed it climb into bushes. So far as I have been able to 

 learn, its food consists mainly of insects, such as grass- 

 hoppers, beetles, spiders, ants, larvae and pupae, but Ruth- 

 ven & Gaige record the finding of a very young Cnemido- 

 fhorus in one stomach. The same authors state that "The 

 females collected as late as July 13 still carried their eggs, 

 but those taken on August 8 had laid them." 



Mr. Taylor writes: "The desert whip-tailed lizard was 

 found alike on the sides of dry washes and on the open flat 

 desert in the vicinity of the foothills. It ranged in small 

 numbers to an altitude of 5,000 feet on the low ridges, and 

 a short distance up Big Creek Caiion. A single specimen 

 was taken in the vicinity of the forks of Big Creek (5,700 

 feet). 



"If surprised, Cnemidofhorus runs with great speed, 

 holding its long tail erect in the air something in the manner 

 of CalUsaurus ventralis. When at ease it progresses more 

 slowly, dragging itself along on its belly and waddling from 

 side to side. This has been described (J. and H. W. Grin- 

 nell, 1907, p. ZS) as being a peculiar slinking, hesitating 

 gait. They run a short distance very swiftly, then creep 

 along in a jerky fashion, bobbing the head up and down. 

 When at some distance from the intruder they remain 

 motionless, eyeing him. 



"Sometimes as many as 20 individuals were seen in the 

 course of a morning's hunt. 



"Their long narrow bodies and extremely agile move- 

 ments combine to make noosing them (see J. and H. W. 

 Grinnell, 1907, p. 7) almost an impossibility. 



