REPTILES. 79 



thing went to show that the eggs are mostly laid about the first 

 of July. None were observed before this date, and those collected 

 on July 2 were all clean — they usually become much stained from 

 the decaying wood after being in the nest for some time. The 

 number of eggs in the set was counted in eight instances and were 

 as follows: 6, 6, 8, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14. An examination of the preg- 

 nant females shows that the number in each set varies with the 

 size (age?) of the female, the smaller ones having 6 to 8 eggs, the 

 larger ones 9 to 14. It is interesting to compare this with the state- 

 ment of Ditmars (1907, 202) that he found the normal numbers to 

 be 8 or 4, and that of Strecker (1908, 169) ^the several sets that I 

 have examined were all of 8 eggs each.' 



"It was interesting to observe the behavior of the female when 

 with her eggs. As is well known she remains with them until they 

 are hatched, but for what purpose is not evident. We usually found 

 them coiled about the eggs, but sometimes they simply lay beside 

 them. In any case there seemed to be no attempt to come in im- 

 mediate contact with the eggs, and indeed this would have been im- 

 possible in most instances, as the eggs themselves were not even in 

 contact with each other, being somewhat scattered about in the de- 

 caying debris. However, there seemed to be a disposition on the 

 part of the female to keep her set together; several times I saw a 

 female leave her position and crawl about the eggs, and when she 

 encountered one which I had displaced, lick it and then nose it 

 back with the others. If care was taken in removing the outer shell 

 of the log to expose the nest, the female would remain with the 

 eggs, only burying herself deeper in the loose debris when her head 

 was exposed to the light. 



"The first voung of the vear were observed on Julv 31, when a 

 female was found under a small log on a sand beach, coiled about 

 a nest of 8 eggs from which the young were emerging." 



Ditmars (1907, 202) states that the "food consists largely of in- 

 sects, but well-grown specimens will feed upon the eggs of birds, or 

 newly born wood mice, often discovered by the lizard as it investi- 

 gates the crevices of fallen trees." Surface (1908a, 251) records 

 the larva of a Geometrid moth in the stomach of one specimen. 

 Cope (1900, 038) states that a captive specimen gorged itself with 

 wood lice (Omscus). 



Range: The blue-tailed skink was probably not uncommon in 

 the southern part of lower Michigan before the timber was removed. 

 Whether or not it was of general distribution will probably never 

 be known ; it is now apparently very rare over much of this region. 



