1905.] AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES. 217 



of the hot, well-wooded parts of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Vera Cruz, 

 whence it extends far into Central America. It is far less quick 

 than Cnemidophorus, and I have found it invariably in the 

 vicinity of water. 



ANGUiDiE. — Anguis, with its sole species fragilis, and two species 

 of Ophisaurus s. Pseudojyus (Morocco to Burma) are the only 

 members of this family which are not American, and even the 

 third species of Ophisaurus^ 0. ventralis, lives in the United 

 States. The countries now richest in Anguid^e are Mexico, 

 Central America, and the Antilles ; a few extend into South, and 

 a few, GerrJionotus with the Ophisaurus, into North America, 

 where the latter is widely distributed (also recorded from Jalapa). 



Biplogloss'us is peculiar to the mountainous regions of Mexico ; 

 B. steindachneri from Orizaba, Jalapa, and Guatemala. The 

 related genus Celestus in Antilles and Central America. 



Gerrhonotus is the main genus, eight species of which occur in 

 Mexico, entirely in mountainous districts or on the plateau ; they 

 are consequently absent in the hot lowland forests, and references 

 to Vera Cruz and Tehuantepec do not apply to such towns but 

 to unknown places in the state or district. 



G. ccerideiis has the widest range, from British Columbia and 

 Colorado along the Pacific side of Mexico to Costa Rica. Most of 

 the species live on the ground, in the oak- and pine-forests, 

 preferring clearly a moist and by no means warm climate. 

 G. antauges ascends Citlaltepetl to an altitude of more than 

 12,000 feet, in the pine-forests, or in the grass near little streams, 

 and higher up amongst the tussocks of grass, basking on the top 

 of such a tussock and making its home among the roots or in 

 the mass of last year's rotting blades. In such a place they 

 disappear easily, although they are not quick. The sarae applies 

 to G. imhricatUiS, G. gramineus, delicately light green above and 

 yellow below, is arboreal, ascending the highest trees in search of 

 insects and making its lair in hollow trees of oak, pines, and 

 arbutus. They all are viviparous, live on insects and worms, 

 and lose their shyness a few hours after having been caught and 

 handled. 



Xenosaurid^. — Xenosaurus grandis alone is recorded only 

 from the mountains near Orizaba, Cordoba, and Oaxaca. 



Helodermatid^. — The sole genus Heloderma, unless we include 

 Lanthanotus of Borneo. H. suspectum of Arizona and New 

 Mexico, and If. horridum of Mexico. The notion that Heloderma 

 is a dweller on arid mountains is quite erroneous. It is restricted 

 to hot lowlands with sandy ground. Most of Arizona is high 

 and dry tableland, and there is quite a trade in " Gila monsters," 

 but, so far as I could find out, they all came from such terribly hot 

 and low sandy places as Yuma, on the lower reaches of the Gila 

 river, and from similar localities in Sonora. H. horridum is 



