﻿416 3. IGUANIDM 



almost black as they were buried in a bank composed largely 

 of coal dust and cinders. 



"When first hatched the young are smooth and tender, 

 but in a short time are very active in their movements and 

 fully able to take care of themselves. They do not receive 

 any care from the mother, who probably never returns to 

 the spot where she buries the eggs. 



"This species, in common with other members of the 

 genus, has the habit of occasionlly squirting blood from the 

 corner of the eye. This is only done when the animal has 

 been injured by rough handling. One afternoon I collected 

 twenty-three specimens, and when I was ready to start home 

 my shirt looked as though I had been present at a hog- 

 killing. Judging from my experience I would say that 

 this habit was more common with our species than with any 

 of the others. An old superstition among the country peo- 

 ple and negroes, is to the effect that when a horned toad 

 'spits' blood, its bite is "suah" death. 



"Some years ago a friend brought me a dead hawk 

 (Buteo lineatus allen'i) that he had found lying out on the 

 prairie west of the city. It was greatly emaciated and there 

 was considerable dry blood on the feathers of the throat 

 and breast. On skinning it I found no shot wounds, but 

 when I made a careful examination of the carcass I found 

 that it had swallowed two horned lizards and that one of the 

 occipital horns of one of these had penetrated the bird's 

 trachea." 



Mr. W. M. Winton notes "An interesting fact men- 

 tioned by many writers, and easily confirmed, is that the 

 horned lizard is very sensitive to the stings of the large agri- 

 cultural ants which form its principal food. The lizard 

 will fidget nervously when stung by an ant on the back or 

 on the leg, yet can swallow the insect alive and entire. The 



