﻿12. SCELOPORUS 313 



the purpose of display, as when a male humming bird flashes 

 his gorget. 



"The fence lizard is surprisingly tame. If one goes after 

 it pell-mell, it takes refuge in some crevice out of reach. 

 If a person goes with less precipitation the lizard will simply 

 go around to the other side of the tree trunk or rock. But 

 it will not stay long out of sight, for it is very curious ; 

 presently its head and sparkling, almost roguish eyes will 

 peer around some corner. As a rule it is no trick at all to 

 noose a fence lizard. A moderate amount of caution, and a 

 four-foot stick, held as rigidly as possible, with a horse-hair 

 rioose properly adjusted, will prove successful for those who 

 wish to make a closer acquaintance. The lizard is rather 

 lively to handle, but is perfectly harmless. Its teeth are so 

 small that even a vigorous bite on one's finger fails to draw 

 blood. We know nothing about the eggs or breeding habits 

 of this species, and there is a field here for a lot of careful 

 observation." 



Dr. Grinnell found that the stomach of a female fence 

 lizard contained one lady-bird beetle, one leaf-hopper, one 

 spider, one geometrid larva, two wood-ants, and several un- 

 identified insect fragments. 



Ruthven and Gaige state that near Carlin, Nevada, this 

 lizard is "closely restricted to rocky places such as cliffs, out- 

 crops, talus slopes, stream beds and similar places." 



"As has often been noted, the Sceloporus is an excellent 

 climber. It clings with ease to a vertical or even overhang- 

 ing rock face and when alarmed rushes away with surprising 

 swiftness. In this habitat it is quite inconspicuous, the pat- 

 tern of light-colored individuals resembling the color of the 

 rock, and the dark individuals appearing very like a crevice 

 or angle in the rock face. When on the rocks, many of the 

 old individuals are entirely black above to the obliteration 

 of the pattern, but this color rapidly changes when they are 



