REPTILIA 251 



is known about their habits, but it is said that they live among gor- 

 geous flowers whose colors they closely approximate. Doubtless this 

 camouflage aids the lizard in securing insect food. 



Phrynosoma cornutum (Fig. 139, A), the horned toad, is chosen as 

 a desert type. Of course this animal is not a toad at all but a short, 

 flat, spiny lizard, with a very reduced tail, a character that evidently 

 suggested the name " toad " for it. They live in the semi-arid regions 

 of the southwestern States and in Mexico. The only water they seem 

 to take is in the form of dewdrops, and they are capable of living for 

 a long time without any water, growing flatter and lighter as desicca- 

 tion progresses. Their chief food appears to be ants, though other 

 small insects are not unwelcome. They are fond of basking in the hot- 

 test sun during the day, but when night approaches they bury them- 

 selves in the sand while still warm from the sun, leaving only the top 

 of the head and the horns exposed. The nostrils are provided with 

 valves to prevent the inhalation of the fine sand. They are colored a 

 dull sandy gray, and this, together with their rugose appearance, 

 makes them very inconspicuous against the usual desert background. 

 One curious habit which the writer had heard of with considerable 

 skepticism and only believed when he saw it with his own eyes, is that 

 of squirting a tiny stream of blood out of the eye, when cornered and 

 in danger. The blood is expelled from the inner corner of the eye and 

 can be shot to a distance of two feet or more. What advantage is 

 gained by this curious habit no one seems to know. The horned toad 

 is a docile little creature and is easily tamed. Of all animals that the 

 writer has experimented with, they are the most readily hypnotized 

 by turning them on the back and pressing gently but firmly against 

 the ventral surface. 



Anguis fragilis (Fig. 139, C), the slow-worm or blind-worm, is also 

 called in some sections of the country the "glass snake." These 

 lizards are true fossorial or burrowing types. They are limbless forms, 

 representing the climax of degeneration among the Lacertilia. There 

 is a current legend of the Southern States that this creature can be 

 shattered by a blow into a number of pieces and that these pieces get 

 together again into an entire animal, which then goes on its way re- 

 joicing. The truth underlying the legend is that, like other lizards, 

 the tail is quite brittle and readily knocked off by a blow from a stick. 

 Both animal and tail wriggle about vigorously after such violent treat- 

 ment, but only the body is able to resume the journey. 



