184. REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



tinge, the stripes become less distinct and upon the males 

 disappear altogether, while the head takes on a fiery red 

 hue. This phase is known as the Red-Headed Lizard, 

 or "Scorpion," and for a time was technically called 

 Eumeces erythrocephalus. It is thought by the negroes 

 to be very poisonous. Female specimens retain the 

 stripes ; these, however, are less distinct against the brown 

 body hue than with the young; the red tinge on the head 

 of the female is never so brilliant as on the other sex. 

 The complete color transformation takes three or four 

 years. 



This handsome skink is difficult to capture. When 

 basking it keeps a convenient hiding place in mind to 

 which it instantly darts if frightened. The old males 

 are very shy and cunning, living on pine trees, with 

 always a snug retreat in the shape of a deep cavity, 

 nearby. Into this they rush as an intruder draws near, 

 but from it is soon poked a fiery red head with wide, 

 swollen temples and pointed snout, this member looking 

 quite as formidable as the head of some deadly snake. 



After fruitlessly trying to noose these lizards by fas- 

 tening a piece of fine copper wire on a slender pole, the 

 writer adopted new tactics. He was in the South Caro- 

 lina pinelands at the time and as skinks were everywhere 

 abundant, it was decided to obtain a good series of living 

 specimens, showing the color transition. To obtain them 

 dead would have been easy enough, as they could have 

 been readily shot while basking. Owing to the persist- 

 ently diurnal habits of the species, it was decided to hunt 

 them just after daybreak, when they were yet in their 

 hiding places. We hunted through a stretch of tall pine 

 timber, where a tornado, years before, had felled a path 

 of trees for a distance of several miles. The fallen 

 giants were fast rotting and their bark had become very 



