Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo05amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ii6 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL yellow stripes running lengthwise on the body; the tail of such specimens is usually a brilliant blue,—hence the name. Upon approaching maturity the body assumes a brownish tinge, the stripes become less distinct, and upon the males disappear al- together, while the head takes on a tinge of red. The females retain the stripes, although they are less distinct against the brown body-color than in young specimens; the head of the female is much narrower than the male, while the red tinge upon the same is never so brilliant as in the other sex. The complete color transformation takes about four vears.
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FIG. 19. BLUE-TAILED LIZARD, YOUNG AND ADULT The female of this species deposits her eggs, to the number of about a dozen, under the bark of a decaying tree, and coils about the edge of the cluster in serpentine fashion until they hatch. Large specimens of the red-headed form measure eight inches in length. In the South the species grows much larger and is very abundant. The adult males are called "Scorpions." Range: Southern Massachusetts to Florida; westward to Texas. Local distribution: General in sunny openings of woods, but not common.

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