THE DRAMA OF LIFE 45 



among the Iguanids ; but they differ from all other mem- 

 bers of the order in their flat bodies covered with keeled, 

 spiny scales, and in the circlet of horns upon the head. 

 There are eighteen different species belonging to the genus 

 Phrynosoma, and there is one other known, a unique creature 

 from the deserts of the Gila and Colorado Rivers, which 

 requires a genus (Anota) all to itself, and has the honour, 

 indeed, of differing from every other living lacertiUan in the 

 closing up of a small gap on the roof of the skull known 

 as the supratemporal foramen. One needs, however, to 

 know a good deal about skulls before one can appreciate 

 the importance of this unique feature. 



What is the significance of the Phrynosome's peculiarities? 

 In the first place, what is the meaniag of that circlet 

 of sharp horns on the head, which recall (as if in miniature) 

 the projecting horns of some of the extinct Diaosaurs ? 

 The curious shape of head that results reminds one also of 

 the quaint fruits of the water- chestnut which the peasants 

 round Florence string iuto most decorative rosaries. But 

 what are the horns for ? They serve to ward off blows 

 and bites, for the creature lowers its head and raises the 

 scales of its back when it is on the defensive, and we can 

 well believe that if an enemy bit the head of a Phrynosome 

 once, it would never do so again. The Indians say that 

 if a snake swallows one whole, the indomitable lizard 

 proceeds to work its way by a short cut from the stomach 

 outwards — which for the aggressor must be an extremely 

 disagreeable process, bringing repentance to the snake. 

 Mr. Bryant says that there is some foundation for this 

 story, and it has its analogues at any rate in records of 

 box-fishes biting their way out of sharks. 

 A second distinctive feature in the horned lizards is their 



