276 DENIZENS OF THE DESERT 



on the reptiles collected on the Death Valley 

 Expedition (1893), found that the horned toads 

 which lived on the intensely white alkali soil 

 around Ash Meadows in the Amargosa Desert 

 were much [lighter in color than usual. Other 

 specimens taken elsewhere showed great varia- 

 tion in color ranging "from a very pale, in some 

 nearly whitish drab-gray, to a vivid brick red." 



The bony, rigidly built head is short and 

 triangular in shape adapting it admirably as 

 a tool for burrowing into the sand. When a 

 horned lizard desires to cover himself for the 

 night, he forces his wedge-shaped head into the 

 sand just like a chisel, driving it forward by 

 means of the legs. To facilitate the movement 

 the whole body is wriggled back and forth. The 

 last act in the burying procedure is a flip of the 

 tail which covers the last visible appendage. 

 It is surprising in what a short time the animal 

 is completely hidden. 



Horned lizards exhibit a marked preference 

 for the sandy washes and are never known to 

 occur on the rocky hillside. The reason for this 

 is obvious, it being absolutely necessary for 

 them to have loose sand in which to make their 



