174. REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



darts away from a pursuer at a gait defying capture 

 unless strategy is employed. The best way to catch 

 these lizards is to keep chasing them until they run into 

 a little thicket of grass or leaves, where they remain in 

 the imagination of being securely hidden. 



The Race-Runner is insectivorous. Captives are fond 

 of meal worms, which may be obtained at any bird store. 

 This diet should be varied with the soft-bodied grubs to 

 be found under the bark of rotting logs and with grass- 

 hoppers or crickets. 



The present species retains the stripes through life. 

 On the center of the back is a broad, dark band. Eight 

 inches is the usual length of an adult. 



As examples of the degraded forms of the Teiidce 

 we may take the species of Scolecosaurus. They are 

 small, worm-like, have minute eyes, no ear openings, 

 rudimentary legs and the scales smooth and arranged in 

 regular rings. They exhibit burrowmg habits and are 

 often found in ant-hills. Through the courtesy of Mr. 

 R. R. Mole, of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, the writer 

 received several specimens of the tiny but interesting 

 Scolecosaurus cuvieri, found in tropical America and on 

 the island of Trinidad. An accompanying plate 

 shows the peculiar structure. The specimens mentioned 

 were extremely active, immediately wriggling their way 

 back into the wood pulp in their cage when exhumed 

 for examination. Their tails were so fragile they would 

 break from the body almost at a touch. The specimens 

 lived for many months, appearing to feed upon termites 

 from a nest sent North by Mr. Mole. These lizards 

 were of a dull brown like that of the soil in which they 

 lived. 



Our next two families of lizards form one of the most 

 remarkable groups in the Lacertilia. These families 



