ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
BY C. HARTE MERRIAM. 
I. SOUTH CAROLINA. 
Tue town of Aiken is situated in the dry, sandy ‘“‘ Pine Barrens” 
of southern South Carolina. It is a great resort for invalids (es- 
pecially for those suffering from pulmonary diseases), the climate 
being dry and healthful. It is the highest point on the Charles- 
ton railroad, having an altitude of over six hundred feet, and there 
are no streams or swamps in the vicinity. ‘There is no water near 
excepting an exceedingly small stream which flows into a little 
pond two miles distant, the outlet of which empties into several 
larger ponds between Graniteville and Langley, five and eight 
miles west of the town. 
~The woods, which consist mainly of pine trees, abound with 
bright green lizards (Anolius Carolinensis), which, like the cha- 
meleon, possess the power of changing their color to a greenish- 
yellow and a dark reddish-brown.. There is also another species 
of lizard (Scleroporus undulatus), which somewhat resembles the 
“ horned toad” of our western plains; it is longer, however, and 
more slender and its throat and the sides of its belly are of a bright 
metallic greenish-blue color. Both of these species run about on 
old logs and rail fences and seem to take especial delight in climb- 
ing among the fragrant jessamines (Gelsemium sempervirens), 
which are very abundant in some parts of the woods. When dis- 
turbed they generally take to some tree, which they climb with — 
astonishing rapidity; the back of the latter species so closely 
resembles the bark as to be scarcely distinguishable from it. 
To the entomologist, Aiken may prove a more fruitful locality 
than to the ornithologist, since there are many bright colored and 
beautiful species of butterflies; but even these lose their attrac- 
tions when compared with the endless varieties and curiously 
_ formed species of Coleoptera. One species of the latter in partic- 
ular (Phaneus carnifex) reminds us of the Brazilian beetles ; it is 
about three-quarters of an inch long, is of the brightest green color, 
_ and has a large reddish violet shield on the fore part of its back, 
cane ic which grows an immense horn that hangs over the back. 
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