LAOERTILIA— IGUANIDAE— EUPHEYNE OBESA. 559 



Apparently rare in Arizona ; only one specimen having been secured in 



1873. 



No. 



Locality. 



Date. 



Collector. 



'45 



Ralston, Ariz 



Nov., 1S73 



Dr. C. G. Newberry. 





It may be mentioned, as a matter of some interest, that during the 

 expeditions of 1871, 1872, and 1873, the lizard described as Eupliryne ohesa, 

 a herbivorous one, by Professor Baird (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1858), 

 was not met with, although we have probably evidence that it exists in 

 considerable numbers in Utah and New Mexico. It is said to be abundant, 

 according to Baird, in the canons of Colorado, and was taken at Fort Yuma 

 by Major Thomas, of the United States and Mexican boundary survey; 

 but as yet we have failed to secure a specimen. 



During the field season of 1872, the attention of Mr. Henshaw and my- 

 self was attracted to the occurrence of curious resinous looking deposits on 

 the almost vertical cliffs of certain rocks in Southern Utah, many feet above 

 the valley. A considerable portion was collected, and from its appearance 

 we judged it to be a cong-lomerated mass of bat excrement. 



In 1873, Dr. Oscar Loew, chemist of the expedition, discovered the 

 same kind of deposit in a forest of juniper, within a rocky fissure, in the 

 Territory of Colorado. He also supposed it to be the excrement of mam- 

 mals ; but, after a careful examination, the substance was found to be the 

 excrement of herbivorous lizards, and as the only ones known to inhabit 

 the region visited is the JEupliryne obesa, Baird, it is probably from this one. 



Dr. Loew's statement is here given : 



" Observations on a peculiar and unique animal excretion. 



" In Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, there are frequently found black 

 masses of resinous appearance, attached to rocks in positions which mammals, 

 except bats, could not attain. These lumps vary in size from three to six 

 inches in thickness. Distributed through the mass are always to be seen 

 small pieces of feces, resembling greatly the dung of mice or bats, though 

 much larger than the latter. These small masses, however, contain no' ani- 



