812 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by William L. Finley 

 LIZARDS, HALF SWALLOWED, STIFLE CONVERSATION BETWEEN TWO YOUNG 



ROAD-RUNNERS 



Such a reptilian dinner may be 10 or 12 inches long and disappears at the rate of about an inch 

 every two minutes. The creatures are eaten head first, so that they slip down easily, and their scales 

 prevent them from backing out. A well-balanced diet for a road-runner may include, in addition 

 to lizards, crickets, beetles, caterpillars, and even small snakes (page 805). 



the West Indies and Yucatan south into 

 central South America. It has been found 

 rarely in Louisiana and Florida and cas- 

 ually elsewhere. 



Groove-billed Ani 



(Crotophaga sulcirostrh) 



Except for the smaller bill with distinctly 

 impressed lines or grooves along its sides, 

 this bird is almost the exact double of the 

 smooth-billed ani (Color Plate II). 



It has been widely believed for centuries 

 that anis extract many ticks from the skins 

 of the domestic animals around which they 

 feed in small flocks. But actually much of 

 the credit for this belongs to the equally 

 black grackles that range with them. 



Long and slender, anis are slow and 

 direct in flight, alternately beating their 

 small wings and sailing. In a strong wind 

 they are almost helpless. 



The groove-billed ani's eggs and gre- 

 garious nesting habits are simflar to those 

 of its smooth-billed relative (page 809). 

 It is resident from the lower Rio Grande 

 \'alley in Texas to Peru and British 



Guiana. The San Lucas ani (Crotophaga 

 s. pallidula), a paler race, is found in the 

 southern region of Baja California. 



Road-runner 



{Gcococcyx calijorniaiuis) 

 Walking along a sandy trafl in southern 

 Arizona, I noticed a curious track shaped 

 like a crude X, made obviously by a foot 

 with two toes that pointed forward and two 

 backward. The imprints were spaced in 

 long strides that indicated a creature of fair 

 size, and were so balanced that it was diffi- 

 cult to say which way the animal was trav- 

 eling until I noticed that the forward- 

 pointing toes were more deeply impressed 

 in the loose soil. 



A slight moveinent under a bush some 

 distance ahead announced the maker of 

 the curious marks, as I saw the long bfll, the 

 crested head with a spot of brilliant red on 

 the side, and the elongated tail of a road- 

 runner (Plate II). 



Finding that it was discovered, the bird 

 started off at a rapid run and almost at 

 once was out of sight. 



