126 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



the writer found this species common at Mojave and 

 Hesperia, and secured a single specimen near Cabazon 

 on the eastern slope of San Gorgonio Pass, Riverside 

 County, California. The first three of these localities 

 are situated in the great Yucca-arborescens belt, which 

 extends along the southwestern edge of the Mojave 

 Desert. The last is in a small and apparently isolated 

 grove of smaller tree yuccas, seemingly of another 

 species. 



Habits. About a mile from the station at Mojave 

 there is a considerable forest of Yucca arborescens. The 

 many trees and wind-broken branches, which lie decay- 

 ing on the ground, afford a home to numerous colonies 

 of white ants, scorpions, vicious looking black spiders, 

 and several species of beetles. In a deep crack of one 

 of these branches a small lizard was discovered, which, 

 when caught, proved to be a young Xantusia vigilis. 

 Probably it had not yet learned how to hide from the 

 day, for I have never seen another undisturbed indi- 

 vidual. 



The key to their home once discovered, the collection 

 of a large series of these lizards was merely a matter of 

 physical exertion. Every fourth or fifth stem that was 

 examined gave up its Xantusia, and in one instance five, 

 as many as were previously known to collections, were 

 found under a single tree. 



Most of the lizards were found between the bark and 

 the ground, but many had hidden in the thick clusters 

 of dead leaves, from which it was very difficult to dislodge 

 them. When first exposed to the light, they were dark 

 colored and seemed dazzled for a moment, during 

 which they made no attempt to escape. They were not 

 at all sluggish, however, and, if not caught immediately, 

 made for the nearest cover as fast as their very short 



