42 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Habits. Very little is known of the habits of this 

 lizard. An individual kept in confinement for more 

 than a year spent most of his time in a hole provided in 

 the ground of his cage. His food during this period 

 consisted entirely of houseflies. His usual time of feed- 

 ing was after dark, but not infrequently he would snap 

 up a fly which chanced to stray into the mouth of his 

 burrow during the day, and sometimes would come forth 

 in search of prey while the sun was shining brightly on 

 his den. When stalking flies, his movements were so 

 slow as almost to be imperceptible until he was within 

 range and could seize the coveted morsel with one in- 

 stantaneous snap. If blown upon, he would raise him- 

 self and stand with legs straight and rigid. When first 

 sent to me, this lizard had the skin of the occiput raised 

 into a large hood, but whether this was a nuptial orna- 

 ment or due to some accident I cannot tell. 



Family III. IGUANID^. 



The members of this family present, in their strange 

 diversity of form, a series of pleurodont lizards which 

 closely parallels in the New World the acrodont Agamidw 

 of the Old. The Iguanidce are diurnal lizards having 

 eyes with round pupils and well developed lids. The 

 tongue is short, thick, and but slightly notched anteri- 

 orly. Femoral pores are present in North American 

 species. The clavicle is not dilated, except in the Cen- 

 tral American BasUiscincK. Some species of Sceloporus 

 and Phrynosoma are said to be ovoviviparous. Califor- 

 nian Iguanians may be distinguished by the following 



