The one caught had suffered but little injury in the fight. Numerous tooth marks were discernible as minute abrasions on the surface of the scales, but the bony dermal armor had not been perceptibly penetrated during the prolonged and violent struggle. EGGS The eggs of _Eumeces fasciatus_ are like diminutive chicken eggs in appearance. They are white when first laid, slightly translucent when held to the light. Within a day or two after they are laid, these eggs are soiled to a dull tan color, somewhat mottled, as a result of being rolled and dragged about in contact with the floor and wall of the nest burrow. Like the eggs of most other reptiles, those of _Eumeces fasciatus_ have parchmentlike shells. These shells are thin and easily punctured. As incubation proceeds, the egg enlarges by gradual absorption of moisture and the somewhat elastic shell is stretched. An egg left in water for as much as a day does not gain in weight appreciably. Except for occasional abnormal ones, the eggs of any one clutch are notably uniform in size and shape at the time they are laid. As incubation proceeds, some eggs enlarge more rapidly than others, and attain larger ultimate size. Differences in shape also appear, some eggs becoming relatively elongate and thin, while others are thick and blunt. Some become distorted to asymmetrical shapes. In nests that have been deserted by the females, eggs of irregular shape are especially noticeable. It seems probable that the frequent shifting of the eggs by the female prevents unequal drying or stretching in different areas of the shell. Normal young were observed to hatch from grossly misshapen eggs. Under conditions of drought, the eggs may not enlarge normally during the latter part of incubation, and may become indented or partly collapsed, and yet apparently normal young hatch from them. Both in the field, and in laboratory experiments, eggs were found to have remarkable tolerance for excess moisture. After heavy rains of summer thunderstorms, nests were sometimes found to have water trickling through them, and on occasion eggs were found to be partly submerged in water in the nest cavity. Exposed rocks at the heads of small gullies often were chosen by the female skinks as the shelter for their nests. In these situations the nests were exposed to run-off water. In July, 1951, especially, unusually heavy precipitation resulted in the flooding of many nests. In some instances desertion by the females and destruction of the eggs seemed to have been caused by this flooding, even in the well-drained hillside situations where this study was made. Table 5.--Measurements in Millimeters and Weights in Grams of Eggs in the Same Clutch at Different Stages During Their Incubation, Showing Gradual Increase in Size.