1911} Bryant: Horned Lizards of California and Nevada Ly, 
Phrynosoma. In fact, their eyes seem unable to distinguish an 
insect unless it moves, so that this may largely govern the 
feeding habit. On seeing its prey, a Phrynosoma has a habit 
of raising and lowering itself on its front legs much as a lizard 
does when sunning itself on a rock. Always when feeding it 
raises itself well on its legs, seemingly to avoid being bitten. 
The moment the insect moves, the horned lizard darts for it, 
catches it on the end of its viscid tongue, swallows it alive and 
backs off again. Why the animal is never bothered by being 
stung internally by the ants it eats, seems hard to explain. Cer- 
tainly the lining of the mouth and stomach must be particularly 
adapted to withstand the poisonous sting of insects, for when 
stung externally, the lizard shows no little discomfiture. 
The dewdrops on the vegetation may sometimes serve as the 
water supply. Although horned lizards go for long periods of 
time without water, yet they are known to drink greedily at 
times. 
A peculiar habit of ‘“‘playing possum’’ is often seen, the 
lizard remaining perfectly still, as if dead, but darting away at 
the first opportunity for escape. 
An interesting reaction is seen in the hypnotic effect pro- 
duced by rubbing the animal on top of the head and between 
the eyes. Under such treatment the lizard turns its head down, 
closes its eyes and apparently goes into a hypnotic stupor. 
Pinching it with a tweezers or placing it on its back, a treat- 
ment which it highly resents in a normal state, fails to awaken it. 
In some cases specimens remain in such a stupor for five or 
ten minutes. The first sign of awakening is usually evidenced 
by the slow opening of the eyes. This habit may be simply a 
‘playing possum,’’ but is probably more in the nature of hyp- 
nosis such as is produced on birds when held for a time on their 
backs. This phenomenon offers a field for further study. 
DISTRIBUTION 
Phrynosoma is distinetly a North American genus, ranging 
from Canada to southern Mexico and from the Mississippi to 
the Pacifie coast. The southwestern United States and Mexico 
have the largest number of representatives, due probably to the 
