THE LIZARDS 149 



to locate his specimen, then slap the hand down o^^er 

 the reptile. In two instances out of three the rough 

 little body squirms under the hand. Not so unless the 

 motion of securing the j^rize is lightning quick. How 

 many times has the writer gazed ruefully upon a lizard's 

 spasmodically wriggling tail, realizing that as the hand 

 descended the reptile started, j^et not quick enough to 

 get away with all its possessions. Swifts may be 

 hunted around sawmills, especially if a number of old 

 logs are lying about, for on these the reptiles find such 

 food as the fat -bodied grubs of the wood-boring beetles. 

 In most families of lizards there is some particular 

 genus, or a small group of genera embracing species 

 of such eccentric form that a superficial examination 

 would lead one to suppose they had no near relations. 

 The Iguanidce furnishes marked examples in the shape 

 of the Horned "Toads," composing the genus Phry- 

 nosoma — and here let us change a misleading title, now 

 we have for duty's sake employed it. We will call 

 these creatures the Horned Lizards. They inhabit 

 the United States and JMexico; principally the former. 

 The fifteen species are characteristic in having wide, 

 flat, toad-like bodies on which there is a marginal fringe 

 of spines and erect, scattered spines of various sizes 

 on the back; over the general surface of the back the 

 scalation is exceedingly fine and granular. JNIost inter- 

 esting is the head; on most of the species it is armed 

 with spines that are huge in proportion to the size of 

 the possessor; and these spines are generously provided. 

 There are two or three large ones on each temple; be- 

 hind these — on the back of the head — is usually the 

 largest and stoutest pair of spines. On the chin, and 

 parallel with the line of the mouth (on each side) is 

 a row of keen-edged and projecting plates. 



