D. Osteoderm of a juvenile obtained in April, from near midline of back, × 25. E. Tongue from dorsal view, shown in its normal position in the lower jaw, × 2-1/2.] The tail in young individuals is bright blue. In _Eumeces_ the tail characteristically has a color different from that of the body, and is usually more conspicuous; in many species it is blue, but in others it may be purple, greenish-blue, red, pink, or orange. Hatchlings have the most brightly colored tails, and as growth proceeds the colors gradually become duller. In _E. fasciatus_ the bright colors of the tail are mostly or entirely lost in old adults, especially in males, and in individuals of either sex that have lost their original tails and regenerated new tails. Young which lose their tails and regenerate them at an early age have the regenerated portions colored almost as brightly as the originals at first. The skin is tight fitting and relatively thick, stiffened by a bony armor. A small bony plate or osteoderm underlies each scale. Oliver (1951:127) has called attention to the pattern of ornamentation on the osteoderms, which becomes more complex with advancing age. He has suggested the possibility that age might be accurately determined on the basis of extent of osteodermal ornamentation. I have compared osteodermal ornamentation in marked individuals of known age, but have found it to be of limited applicability as a method of age determination; size and pattern are probably more satisfactory bases for estimating age, even though they do not permit definite aging of old adults and are not infallible for skinks short of adult size. In adult _E. fasciatus_ the pattern of ornamentation is closely similar to that figured for _E. laticeps_ by Oliver (op. cit.) and also resembles the pattern shown for an Old World skink, _Mabuya multifasciata_, as figured by Smith (1935: 2). The pattern differs somewhat in osteoderms on different parts of the body, and is most nearly symmetrical in those near the midline on either dorsal or ventral surface (Figure 3). Relationships _Eumeces_ is a widespread genus occurring in the New World in southern Canada and southward into Costa Rica. The greatest number of forms is in Mexico. In the Old World numerous species occur in southeastern Asia and on adjacent islands, and other species occur westward across southern Asia, and across North Africa to Morocco, with a major break in the continuity of distribution in the Himalayan region. Taylor in his revision recognized 57 forms with fifty full species, belonging to 15 major groups within the genus. Since then only relatively minor changes in classification have been proposed. Several new species and subspecies have been named, and several species have been relegated to the status of subspecies.