The Inzards of Kansas 47 
Data taken upon 48 Kansas and Arkansas specimens 
of this species are as follows: Length of body, 19-81 
(41-50) ; length of tail, 23-84 (61-70) ; total length, 49-136 
(91-120) ; width of head, 3-6 (4-5); length of tail as per- 
centage of total length, 45.5-75.5 (60-65); width of head 
as percentage of body length, 7.4-15.8 (10-12). 
Since the tail of these lizards is very brittle and breaks 
easily many specimens are found with short or incom- 
pletely regenerated tails. All measurements given in the 
literature for this species, so far as known, fall within 
the ranges given in the above listing. 
Habitat and Habits—The ground lizard is found to 
range over a large part of the eastern and southern 
United States, and Kansas is on the extreme western 
border of its range. Holbrook (1842) stated that ‘‘This 
Species may be found by the thousands in the thick for- 
ests of hickory and oak in the Carolinas and Georgia. 
They emerge from their retreats after sunset, in 
search of small insects and worms on which they live. 
They take shelter quickly when disturbed, and do not 
climb.’? Hay (1902) found this lizard to occur ‘‘Most 
often under logs in rather damp situations.’’ Ditmars 
(1915) wrote that ‘‘It is very secretive in its habits and 
leads a burrowing life. Large numbers of specimens 
are found under the loose bark of fallen trees.’’? Wright 
and Funkhouser (1915) gave the distribution of some 
specimens taken in Georgia as follows: ‘‘One was found 
under the bark of a log at the edge of a small stream. 
The log was almost in the water. One was found under 
leaves in the woods, and the rest on the ground in open 
Spaces.”? Deckert (1918) stated that this lizard is 
“Common under bark in damp situations.”” 
