CHAPTER XXVII 

 THE PINE-LIZARD AND ITS ALLIES : REPTILIA 



I only know thee humble, bold, 

 Haughty, with miseries untold, 

 And the old curse that left thee cold, 

 And drove thee ever to the sun 

 On blistering rocks. 



BRET HARTE, The Rattlesnake. 



THE PlNE-LlZARD 



Habitat and Distribution. The pine-lizard (Scelop'orus un- 

 dula'tus, Fig. 175), or swift as it is often called, is found in 

 the eastern United States as far north as Michigan, prefer- 

 ring the more sandy areas covered with pine. It is a graceful 

 little creature about seven inches long, gray in color above, 

 with faint undulating black stripes, and silvery white below. 

 The male is ornamented with lustrous patches of blue or 

 green, edged with black on the sides of the throat and under 

 surface of the body. Old fences which border pine-lands are 

 favorite resorts, and here it pursues and captures countless 

 insects. Like others of its kind this lizard loves the sun, and 

 is to be found active only in the hottest part of the day. 

 During the cold weather it hibernates, at least in the northern 

 part of its range. 



External Structure. The body is elongate in form, resem- 

 bling that of the salamanders, but the skin is covered with 

 scales instead of being smooth, and there are no mucus-glands. 

 The digits of the four legs are long and slender, and have 

 sharp claws, which are admirably fitted for clinging to in- 

 equalities in the bark of trees. The gray color of the back is 

 protective when the lizard is at rest, and its movements are 



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