54 
THE GH ALGID JE. 
title of Ophisaurus is of Greek origin, signifying Snake-lizard, and is given to the reptile on 
account of its serpentine aspect. The reader may remember that on page 52 there is an 
account of the saurophis, a name which is exactly the same as that of the present species, 
except that the one is called the lizard-snake and the other the snake-lizard, a distinction 
wdiich, in the present case, is without a difference, so that the two reptiles might exchange 
titles and yet be appropriately named. 
The Glass Snake is indeed so singularly like a serpent that it can only be distinguished 
from those reptiles by certain anatomical marks, such as the presence of eyelids, which are 
wanting in the true serpents, the tongue not sheathed at the base, and the solid jaw-bones, 
which in the serpents are so loosely put together that the parts become widely separated when 
the mouth of the creature is dilated in the act of swallowing its prey. 
The Glass Snake is one of the earliest of the reptile tribe to make its appearance in the 
spring, shaking off its lethargy and coming out of its home to bask in the sunbeams and look 
after the early insects, long before the true snakes show themselves. It is generally found in 
spots where vegetation is abundant, probably because in such localities it finds a plentiful 
supply of the insects, small reptiles, and other creatures on which it feeds. 
It is fond of frequenting the plantations of sweet potato ( Convolvulus batatas ), and during 
harvest-time is often dug up together with that vegetable. The home of this reptile is made in 
some very dry locality, and it generally chooses some spot where it can be sheltered by the roots 
of an old tree, or a crevice in a convenient bank. It moves with tolerable rapidity, and its 
pursuer must exercise considerable quickness before he can secure it. 
To catch a perfect specimen of the Glass Snake is a very difficult business, for when 
alarmed, it has a remarkable habit of contracting the muscles of its tail with such exceeding 
force that the member snaps off from the body at a slight touch, and sometimes will break 
into two or more pieces if struck slightly with a switch, thus earning for itself the appropriate 
title of Glass Snake. The common blind-worm, which will be described in a future page, pos- 
sesses a similar capacity, and often uses it in a rather perplexing fashion. Catesby remarks 
that this separation of the tail into fragments is caused by the construction of the joints, “the 
muscles being articulated in a singular manner quite through the vertebrae.” The tail is more 
than twice the length of the body, from which it can only be distinguished by a rather close 
inspection. 
The head of the Glass Snake is small in proportion to the body, rather pyramidal in 
shape. Along each side of the body runs a rather deep double groove. The coloring of this 
creature is extremely variable, but is generally as follows : The head is mottled above and at 
the sides with black and green, and the jaws are edged with yellow. The upper part of the 
body is marked with multitudinous lines of black, green, and yellow, and the abdomen is 
bright yellow along its length. In the tail there are about one hundred and forty rings of 
scales. Sometimes the upper surface is black on the sides and neck, and brown on the back, 
the head being marbled with yellow and black ; another variety is chestnut above, with w hite 
spots edged with black, and the under parts pale orange ; while a third variety is gray mottled 
with black. The total length of this reptile is from two to three feet. 
The Glass Snakes are represented in North America by the Opheosaiirus vent? alls. It is 
seemingly a serpent, having no external limbs. The tail is very brittle, and the animal has 
from that fact been regarded as so brittle that a blow will fracture the body. The truth 
is, there are thin transverse se/pti between the vertebse, and this is the point where separation 
takes place so readily. Its range is from Tennessee southward from Kansas. 
Four small families now follow, containing but very few individuals. The first of these is 
called the Chalcid^e. These reptiles have long cylindrical bodies, with a slight granular 
groove on the front of each side, and four very short rudimentary limbs. The typical species 
of this family is the Chalcis ( Chalcis flavescens), a native of tropical America,. Guiana, and 
the neighboring parts. The fore-feet have three toes, but the hind-feet are undivided, so as to 
form a single toe. The scales are squared, and arranged in twenty longitudinal series on the 
back, and six series on the abdomen. 
