10 MR. K. W. WHITE ON CHLAMYDOPHORUS TUUNCATUS. [JiXll. 6, 



has scarcely time to disinouut from his horse before the creature has 

 buried itself to the depth of its own body. With regard to its 

 movements within the burrow, these, as well as the structure of the 

 tunnel, seem to me to be governed by the general timidity of its 

 character. The tunnel is scooped out of the exact size of the trun- 

 cated extremity, so that whenever the animal feels inclined to quit 

 its subterranean dwelling, this must be accomplished in one of three 

 ways — either (a) by a retrograde motion, using the ram to burst 

 through a consolidated wall of sand, or (/3) by turning its body 

 round and emerging from the entry head first, or (y) by tunnelling 

 in advance and emerging from a different hole. The third, in my 

 opinion, is the course followed by the Cklamydophorus; for, although 

 when put into a box, under suitable conditions, 1 observed that by 

 first inchning itself on one side, bringing the snout into close proximity 

 to the body and directed towards the tail, with a screw-like motion 

 the animaf was able to wriggle itself round and effect a complete 

 turn, notwithstanding that at first sight the rigid tail would appear 

 to be fatal to such a movement ; yet such a procedure is unnatural, 

 and must be productive of inconvenience, and would, of course, be 

 altogether impossible were it not that the dorsal scute, which is 

 only attached longitudinally along the dorsal ridge, is extremely 

 flexible — so much so, indeed, that it can be easily bent sliglitly up- 

 wards on the merest pressure from the fingers ; a further illustration of 

 this great flexibility is furnished by the fact that when laid on its 

 back, the animal quickly recovers itself. 



The only sound I heard it utter was that of distinctly sniffing 

 like a dog ; and this it always does when in search of a spot for 

 excavating. 



So extremely sensitive is this delicate little burrower to cold that my 

 living example, after passing a night in a box of earth covered with 

 flannels, was found the following morning in a very exhausted con- 

 dition. Wrapped in warm clothing and placed near a fire it soon 

 revived. On taking it into my hand under a Mendozan midday sun it 

 shivered violently ; but whether through fear or chill it is impossible 

 to say. Its normal paradise seems to be when the temperature of its 

 residence is such as is produced by sand so hot as almost to scorch 

 the hand ; and yet, if cold be unfriendly, no less so is wet ; for 

 although its winter is spent beneath the earth, a fall of rain quickly 

 drives it from its retreat. During summer it leaves its burrow at 

 dusk to search for food ; and being truly nocturnal, moonlight nights 

 are very favourable for discovering it. 



I placed my solitary specimen on the ground, first on brick and 

 then on wooden flooring ; but knowing that it could not excavate, it 

 merely walked round in circles — a further evidence that it cannot see, 

 or only very imperfectly at any rate, by daylight ; but far different 

 was its behaviour on being transported to the soil, where after 

 a preliminary sniffle or two, indicating keen scent, it set to work 

 immediately to delve at a very raj)id pace. 



In the specimen I studied, the translucent dermo-skeletou and all 

 the exposed parts were, during life, of a delicate pink tint, the hair 



