Captive skinks, in taking their food, seem to rely much less than some other lizards on movement of the prey as a means of detecting it. An active and hungry skink often failed to notice a spider or insect moving about on the opposite side of the terrarium a foot or more away. However, on many occasions, skinks moving about the terrarium and coming upon a motionless prey item have been seen to stop and examine it intently for several seconds, then grasp it, often in a tentative and hesitant manner, after testing it with the tongue. Sight and scent seem to be about equally important in prey recognition, each supplementing the other, and often functioning simultaneously. As many of the animals preyed upon are secretive and would seldom be found in the open by day, it seems that much of the prey is found in hiding places--in leaf litter on the forest floor, beneath flat rocks or at their edges, and in chinks and crannies of decaying logs, stumps, and tree trunks. Some of the prey animals taken are of types that are more active and swift than the skinks themselves. Presumably the olfactory sense is the more important in detecting prey that is motionless or concealed. Stebbins (1948:202) studied the nasal structure of _Eumeces_, and compared it with that of other lizards. He concluded that the extensive mucus-secreting and olfactory surfaces suggest relatively efficient humidification of inspired air and efficient olfaction in lizards of this genus. In captivity five-lined skinks thrived when provided with ample moisture and shelter and food and kept within the proper temperature range. The reactions of these captive skinks to various small animals introduced into their terraria provided clues as to their food preferences, but also were misleading in some instances. On many occasions hatchlings and young of various sizes were kept with adults of both sexes and subadults, but no instances of cannibalism were ever recorded in captivity. No hostility was seen except between adults, mainly in the breeding season. Young of the little brown skink, _Scincella laterale_, kept with adult _E. fasciatus_, and small enough to be eaten by them, likewise were unmolested. Small snakes such as _Diadophis_, _Carphophis_, and _Storeria_ placed in terraria with the skinks evoked no strong reaction. Occasionally mild avoidance reactions were aroused but the skinks were never seen to display any hostility and readily became accustomed to such cage mates. Mealworms, the most readily available food for the captive skinks, were generally accepted by those that were hungry and sufficiently warm, but were taken with little enthusiasm. They were seldom noticed unless the skinks were within a few inches. Skinks sometimes tested them with their tongues and examined them intently then moved away without eating them. Earthworms, offered on several occasions, were not eaten. Harvestmen, seemingly of the same kind as those found in scats, were ignored by some captive individuals