14.4. REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



anything but easy. Some live on rocky ground; others 

 on fallen trees. Although examples of many of the 

 species will dart up a tree to evade capture, the general 

 inclination is to live close to the ground. The majority 

 of Swifts are from six to eight inches long ; a few grow 

 to a length of ten inches; two species of Uta reach a 

 length of twenty inches, but a great part of this is 

 composed of the very long and slender tail. Between 

 the two genera there is a great difference in the scala- 

 tion ; in the general form, however, is a marked similar- 

 ity. There is also a similarity in the not particularly 

 attractive coloration of the upper surfaces, as well as 

 the markings on the throat and abdomen of the males, 

 where there are brilliant patches of blue or green. 



The genus Uta; Small- Scaled Swifts: The six- 

 teen recognized species inhabit the southwestern portion 

 of the United States — mostlj^ the deserts. The body is 

 moderately stout and flattened, with a rather small head ; 

 the tail may be of moderate length or extremely long 

 and slender. Over the greater part of the body the 

 scalation is very fine; some of the species have four to 

 six rows of much enlarged scales on the central por- 

 tion of the back. 



The Small-scaled Swifts are particularly common in 

 the desert regions of Nevada and Arizona; the largest 

 species are found in Lower California. They live in 

 rocky places, running with great speed and darting into 

 crevices or under shelving stones when seeking conceal- 

 ment. Dull gray or brown, in keeping with the rocks 

 on which they live, are the prevailing colors on which 

 are darker transverse markings. Two members of the 

 genus are exceptions to this rule of somber coloration. 

 They are closely related, inhabiting the peninsula of 

 Lower California. One of them is known as the 



