160 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Several notes have been made relating to the family Anguidce. 

 A specimen of the European Blindworm or Glass "Snake" 

 (Anguis fragilis) gave birth to twelve living young. These 

 snake-like creatures were born in thin sacs, in the same fashion 

 as viviparous snakes, which they immediately pierced, and with- 

 in a few days after birth were eating small earthworms. The 

 mother displayed no interest in her offspring. This is the only 

 species of the snake-like Lacertilians that the writer has observed 

 to be strictly viviparous. The common Glass "Snake" (Ophi- 

 saurus ventralis), a. reptile of the southern United States, be- 

 longing to the Anguidce, deposits about a dozen eggs covered 

 with a thin, soft integument, which at the time of oviposition 

 contain well-formed embryos. Such eggs hatch in less than half 

 the time required for the development of eggs of the strictly 

 viviparous species. Similar habits have been noted in the Five- 

 Lined Lizard (Eumeces quinquelineatus) of the eastern United 

 States. Eight specimens in the collection deposited eggs in their 

 cases under strips of bark. The eggs varied in number from two 

 to four, and possessed a very thin covering. In direct opposi- 

 tion to the writer's experience with other lizards, this species 

 evinces a unique but energetic interest in its own eggs' Each 

 female specimen coiled herself in serpentine fashion about them, 

 and remained in this position, declining all food until they 

 hatched, which in some instances occurred in the short period of 

 three weeks after being laid. When the young emerged, the 

 parent took no notice of them. 



By their habits in reproduction, lizards may be separated into 

 three groups, as follows : First, the strictly oviparous species ; 

 second, those species which deposit eggs with thin integu- 

 ments containing rapidly developing embryos; and third, the 

 truly viviparous forms, which produce fully developed young. 

 On account of the variations noted in the incubation periods of 

 different species, the second group shows a relationship to the 

 viviparous group. 



Generally speaking, lizards deposit a much smaller number of 

 eggs than snakes. Regarding the breeding of the Lacertilians, 

 much remains to be learned, but owing to the frailty of many of 

 these creatures in captivity, however, their life histories are diffi- 

 cult to determine. 



