1894. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 321 



together again, and therefore call it "joint snake." This harmless 

 lizard is also considered by them to be a very "i)oisonous snake." 

 Ophisaunts is not scarce in south Florida, and I have found it in all 

 kinds of places, in the dry pine woods, in hammocks, and under old 

 logs at the border of lakes. It is a bnrrowing animal, and is therefore 

 sometimes plowed up. 



CNEMIDOPHORUS 8EXLINEATUS (E i ii n :«^ us). 



This swift is extremely abundant on Key West, and the largest and 

 nicest specimens in my collection were caught there. Although so 

 abundant, it is hard to collect, as it is so very quick and active, running 

 through the shrubs and disappearing " quick as a flash of lightning." 

 In other i)arts of south Florida it is very common, too, in dry places in 

 the jiine lands, and on warm and sunny days may be seen all over the 

 country in such places as, for instance, around Orlando and Oakland, 

 Orange County, etc., but it does not seem to do as well anywhere as at 

 Key West on the warm lime rocks and in the dense scrub. 



EUMECKS FASCI ATUS (Lin ix;v u s). 



This lizard is rather common iii south Florida under rotten logs and 

 stumps and similiar places. It is not confined to the hammocks, but 

 is also found in the pine woods, in suitable localities, and I have seen 

 a large specimen on the island south of Hog Island outside of Clear 

 Water Harbor, Hillboro County. Strange to say, it is called "scor- 

 pion," "blue tail scorjjion" or "big scorpion" and regarded as "awfully 

 poisonous." The bright blue tail is very brittle and breaks always if 

 one tries to catch the animal by that member. 



LEIOLOPISMA LATERALE (Say). 



This lizard is one of the smallest in south Florida, where it is abun- 

 dant in hammocks under old leaves, etc., or on the shores of lakes under 

 logs and stumps. The localities frequented by this skink are always 

 more or less moist; the tail breaks off easily and is as easily reproduced. 



RHINEURA B^LORIDANA (Baird). 



The "blind worm" or "blind snake," as it is called, is not scarce in 

 sandy places in Orange county. It is often found by jieople digging or 

 grubbing in the gardens or plowing in the orange groves. 



SERPEISTES. 



CEMOPHORA COCCINEA (Bl umenb acli). 



The amount of individual variation displayed by the present species 

 seems to be considerably greater than one would suspect from a peru- 

 sal of the literature. Baird and Girard * indicate a variation in the 



* Catalogue of North American Reptiles, i, Serpents, p. 118. 

 Proc. :N^. M. 94 21 



