The Striped Lizards or " Race Runners " 



Habits of ibe Striped Lizards 



Ground-loving reptiles, the "Race Runners" as these lizards 

 are often called are among the most active of the North Amer- 

 ican lacertilians. They seldom show a desire to climb, but 

 frequent dry, sandy places and the borders of dusty roads; they 

 teem in the sub-arid plains of western Texas and occur in the 

 deserts of the far West; in these places they dig burrows, in 

 which to shelter at night. When pursued, they seemingly keep 

 these locations in mind, for they speed over the ground and usually 

 straight to a hole, darting into it with lightning-like activity. 



That these fleet-footed creatures have keen eyes and wits 

 the writer has many times noted. In chasing the Eastern species 

 over sandy stretches after heading a specimen away from fur- 

 rowed ground he has often seen a lizard turn, after pursuing 

 a straight course, then rush at a speed equal to a man on a run, 

 straight for the burrow of a mouse, or for a small thicket, and 

 disappear in an instant. These lizards were abundant in the 

 district where he collected for several weeks, but their activity 

 was so pronounced, that barely a dozen specimens were captured 

 alive. 



The Race Runners show none of the changes of colour to 

 be noted with many of our lizards. For the most part, they 

 are insectivorous, but the adults are not averse to feasting upon 

 the eggs of small birds that build their nests on the ground. 

 The lizard cracks the shell with its strong jaws and laps up the 

 contents, with the long, flat, forked tongue. All of the species 

 lay thin-shelled eggs. The female scoops out a hollow in the 

 sand, and, carefully covering the eggs, leaves them to be hatched 

 by the sun's heat. 



189 



