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PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
Academy of Natural Sciences
OF
PHILADELPHIA
Volume Llll
1901
philadelphia : The Academy of Natural Sciences
LOGAN SQUARE 1901-1902
■v
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,
March 29, 1902.
I hereby certif}' that printed copies been presented to the meetings of the
of the Proceedings for 1901 have Academy and mailed as follows : —
Pa2;es 1 to 16 mailed March
17 to 128 129 to 1()0 161 to 208 209 to 256 257 to 272 273 to 304 305 to 320 821 to 368 369 to 400 401 to 448 449 to 480 481 to 496 497 to 512 513 to 544 545 to 608 609 to 640 641 to 656 657 to 704 705 to 752
27, 3,
13, 2,
7, 9,
April
April
]\ray
M&y
^lay
June
June
July
August
August
September 3,
September 16,
October 29,
November 23,
January 23,
February 6,
March 1,
March 17,
March 25,
25, 31, 16, 22,
1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901 1902 1902 1902 1902 1902
presented April April April May May May June June August August August
2, 1901. 2, 1901. 16. 1901. 7, 1901. 7, 1901. 14, 1901. 11, 1901. 25, 1901. 6, 1901. 20, 1901. 27, 1901. September 3, 1901. September 24, 1901. October 29, 1901. November 26, 1901. January 28, 1902. February 11,1902. March 4, 1902.
March 18, 1902. March 25, 1902.
EDWARD J. NOLAN,
Recording Secretary.
COIVIMITTEE ON PUBLICATION: Henry Skinner, M.D., riiiLir T. Calvert, Ph.D.,
Henry A. Pilsbry, Sc.D., Witmer Stone,
Edward J. Nolan, M.D., The President, Samuel G. Dixon, M.D., ex-officio.
Editor: EDWARD J. NOLAN, M.D.
7 / 7 J
CONTENTS.
For Announcements, Reports, etc., see General Index.
Aaron, Carrie B. Biographical Notice of Robert Henry
Lamborn (with Portrait), 486
Banks, Nathan. Some Arachnida from New Mexico
(Plate XXXIII), 568
Brown, Arthur Erwin. A Review of the Genera and
Species of American Snakes Noi'th of Mexico, . 10 On Some Points in the Phylogeuy of the Primates, . . 119 A New Species of Coluber from Western Texas (Plate
XXIX), 492
A New Species of Ophibolus fi'om Western Texas
(Plate XXXIV), 612
Casey, Thomas L. On the Probable Age of the Alabama
White Limestone, 513
Chapman, Henry C. Observations upon the Placenta and
Young of Dasypus sexcinctus (Plate XVIII), . 366 CocKERELL, T. D. A. Descriptions of New Bees Col- lected by Mr. H. H. Smith in Brazil, II, . . . 216
FiELDE, Adele M. a Study of an Ant, 425
Further Study of an Ant, . - 521
Fowler, Henry W. Note on the Odontostomidre, . . . 211
Description of a New Hemiramphid 293
Fishes from Caroline Islands, 324
Types of Fishes (Plates XII, XIII, XIV, XV), . . 327 Myctophum phengodes in the North Atlantic, . . . 620 Fox, Henry. The Development of t he Tympano-Eustachian Passage and Associated Structures in the Common Toad (Bufo lentiginosus) (Plates VI, VII, VIII,
IX), 223
i
11
Goldsmith, Edwakd. A Quick Method of Testing for
Gold, . 550
GuDE, G. K. Descriptions of New Helicoid Land Shells
from Japan, 017
Harsiibergkk, John W. The Limits of Variation in
Plants, 303
An Ecological Sketch of the Flora of Santo Domingo
(Plates XXXr, XXXII), 554
Cockscomb Fasciation of Pineapples^, 609
Heath, Harold, and M. H. Spaulding. Cymbuliopsis
vitrea, a New Species of Pteropod, 509
HiGGiNS, Helen T. The Development and Comparative Structure of the Gizzard of the Odonata Zygop- tera (Plates II, III, IV), " . . 126
JoHXSOX, C. W., and A. W, Grabau. A New Species
of Clavilithes from the Eocene of Texas, . . . 602
Keeley, Frank J. Structure of Diatoms, 321
Keller, Ida A. Demonstration that Plants give off Oxy- gen, 320
A Peculiar Condition of CEdogouium, 598
Kraemer, Henry. CrystaUine and Crystalloidal Sub- stances and their Relation to Plant Structure, . . 450
Lyman. Benjamin Smith. Lodel Creek and Skippack
Creek, 604
Meehan, Thomas. Biographical Notice of Charles East- wick Smith, .... 4
Contributions to the Life-History of Plants, XV: The Bending of Mature Wood in Trees (Plates XVI, XVII), 354
Montgomery, Thomas H., Jr. '" Further Studies of the Chromosomes of the Hemiptera Heteroptera
(Plate X), 261
The Identity of the Gordiacean Species, Chordodes
Morgani and C. puerilis (Plate XI), .... 289 Peculiarities of the Terrestrial Larva of the Urodelous Batrachiau, Plethodon cinereus Green (Plate XXX), 503
Ill
Ortmann, a. E. Crustacea and Pycnogonida Collected duriag the Priucetou Expedition to North Green- land, 144
PiLSBRY, Henry A. Crustacea of the Cretaceous Forma- tion of New Jersey (Plate I), Ill
Relationships of the Genus Neobeliscus, l42
New Species of Mollusks from South Africa and Burma, 188 New Mollusca from Japan, the Loo Choo Islands, For- mosa and the Philippines, 193
New Land Mollusca from Japan and the Loo Choo
Islands, 344
New Japanese Marine. Land and Fresh-water Mollusca
(Plates XIX, XX, XXI), . 385
The Land Mollusks of the Loo Choo Islands: Clau-
siliidre (Plates XXII, XXIII), 424
Additions to the Japanese Land Snail Fauna, IV
(Plates XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII), . . 465 Notices of New Land Snails from the Japanese Empire, 496 New Land MoUusks of the Japanese Empire, .... 545
Fasciolaria gigantea subsp. reevei, 552
New Land Mollusks of the Japanese Empire, . . . 562 New Land Mollusca of the Japanese Empire, . . . 614 Additions to the Japanese Land Snail Fauna, V (Plates XXXV, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXVIII,
XXXIX), 622
Catalogue of the Clausiliidse of the Japanese Empire, . 647 Rankin, Walter M. Echinoderms Collected off the West Coast of Greenland by the Princeton Arctic Expe- dition of 1899, 169
Reese, Albert ]M. The Nasal Passages of the Florida
Alligator (Plate XXIV), 457
Rehn, James A. G. The Forficulidse, Blattidae, Mantid?e and Phasmidse Collected in Northeast Africa by
Dr A. Donaldson Smith, 273
A Study of the Genus Centurio, 295
The Acrididie, Tettigonidse and Gryllidie Collected by
Dr. A. Donaldson Smith in Northeast Africa, . . 370 Rhoads, S. N. On the Common Brown Bats of Peninsu- lar Florida and Southern Cahfornia, 618
Sharp, Benjamin. The Food of the Cod, 2
Stone, Witmer. Occurrence of Hyla andersonii at Clem-
entoii, N. J., 342
Thompson, Caroline Burling. Zygeupolia literal is, a
New Heteronemertean (Plates XL, XLI, XLII,
XLIII, XLIV), 657
Vanatta, Edward G. New Marine MoUusks (Plate V), 182 Vaux, George and William S., Jr. Observations Made
in 1900 oil Glaciers iu British Columbia, . . . 213
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES
OF
PHILADELPHIA.
1901.
January 1. The President, Samuel G. Dixox, M.D. , iu the Chair
Ten persons present.
Tlie Council reported that the following Standing Committees had been appointed to serve during the ensuing year:
On Library. — Dr. C. K Peirce, Thomas A. Robinson, Henry C. Chapman, M.D., Charles Schaeffer, M.D., George Vaux, Jr.
On Publications. — Thomas Meehau, Henry Skinner, M.D., Henry A. Pilsbry, Sc.D., Philip P. Calvert, Ph.D., EdAvard J. Nolan, M.D.
On Instruction. — Uselma C. Smith, Benjamin Smith Lyman, Henry A. Pilsbry, Sc.D., Philip P. Calvert, Ph.D., and Charles Morris.
On Finance. — Isaac J. Wistar, William Sellers, Charles Roberts, John Cadwalader and the Treasurer.
Committee of Council on By-Laws. — Isaac J. Wistar, Theodoi'e D. Rand, Arthur Erwin Brown and Charles Roberts.
2 proceedings of the academy of [jan.^
January 8. The President, Samuel G. Dixon, M.D., in the Chair. Nineteen persons present.
The death of Baron Edmond de Selys-Longchamps, a corre- spondent, was announced.
The Food of the Cod. — Dr. Benjamin Sharp called attention to some observations he had made last fall on the contents of the stomaclis of the common Cod. Several hundred stomachs were opened with the hope of finding shells of gastropods and bivalves. Kumerous valuable shells had been taken from the Cod years ago by Stimpson and Gould on the New England coast, north of Cape Cod, and it was supposed that similar finds would come to light from the Cod caught off Nantucket. The stomachs examined were filled almost exclusively with crustaceans and for the most part with species of Panojjeiis. Hermit crabs, Avithout shells, and a few Crepidulte Avere also seen. Here and there young lobsters were found in the stomachs, occasionally two in one stomach. In one Cod, weighing about thirty-five pounds, pieces of a lobster were found which, when placed together, indicated that tlie })ossessor was about eleven inches in length.
The Cod examined were all taken off the eastern end of the island, between the town of Siasconset and a place called Wawinet, where the tide (current) runs at a maximum of about six miles an hour. The bottom consists of coarse sand and is probably shifting, and consequently not a good bed for mollusks, the only food for the Cod found there being crustacean.
Dr. Sharp supposed that the decrease in quantity of the lobsters, which has been so marked within the past few years, is partly due to their consumption by the Cod; and as these have of late greatly increased in numbers, owing to the work of the United States Fish Commission, the lobsters have not been able to keeji pace with the increase of their enemies.
January 15. Mr. Charles Morris in the Chair. Fourteen persons present.
1901.] natural sciences of philadelphia. 3
January 22.
Mr. Arthur Erwin Brown, Vice-President, in the Chair.
Fifteen persons present.
The death of Gustav Hartlaub, a correspondent, was an- nounced.
Papers under the following titles were presented for publication : " On Some Points in the Phylogeny of the Primates," by
Arthur Erwin Brown.
" The Development and Comparative Structure of the Gizzard
in the Odonata zygoptera," by Helen T. Higgins.
January 29, The President, Samuel G. Dixon, M.D., in the Chair.
Sixteen persons present.
William F. Dreer, James Eorer, and W. ^7orrell Wagner were elected members.
H. R. H. Albert I, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, was elected a correspondent.
The following were ordered to be printed :
PlIOCKEDIXGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [JaU ,
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF CHARLES EASTWICK SMITH. BY inOMAS MEEIIAN.
Appoinled to prepare a incnioir of our late fellow-meniber, Charles E. Smith, the author feels strongly a difficulty he has experienced on similar occasions. The members of the Academy meet for mutual improvement and study. The various subjects in 'which they take interest become the chief topics of conver- sation. They know little of the outside life of one another. A tree is to be known only by its fruit. As it grows through successive years it appears much like other trees, and no note is taken of the incidents of its growth ; but Avhen the harvest time arrives, and all are in praise of the bountiful crop, carrying pleasure and profit around it in every direction, a natural desire arises to know more of the details of such a happy career, — a desire that can only be sat- isfied by recalling circumstances imperfectly remembered, or that have but little bearing on the character w'e would illustrate.
So when the subject of this memoir passed away few of his asso- ciates could aid the author. All knew that he was one of Phila- delphia's most prominent citizens ; ihat he had been at the head of some of its great business bodies ; that he had been largely concerned with the city's good name and progress; that he had long been a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phil- adelphia, especially interested in botany and kindred subjects, a liberal contributor through the greater part of his life to its build- ing funds, its collections and general progress, and that on his death it was found that he had generously provided for its future out of his rich estate. But few knew more than all knew. In- deed, but for aid from Dr. Edward J. Nolan and Dr. Thomas C. Porter the author would have been left solely to his own recollec- tions and the replies to letters of inquiry sent to friends of our departed associate for material for his task.
His full name was Charles Eastwick Smith— Eastwick being the maiden name of his grandmother. He was the second of that name in the family, the first dyine: before he was born. His
1901.] XATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. O
Philadelphia ancestors were amnug the original party with William Penn and, like the founder of the city, strong believers in the doctrines of the Society of Friends. Little can be learned of his early life. He was born November 1, 1820, and seems to have had especial care and oversight from his mother, to whom he Avas deeply devoted through life, and by whose side in Laurel Hill Ceme- tery he was placed Avhen his own time of rest arrived. He proba- bly received his rudimentary education in Philadelphia, and at the age of fifteen was sent to the boarding-school of Westtown, near this city. It was here, as he related to his friend Dr. Porter, that he acquired his fondness for botany, through the influence of one of the instructors. He remained here three years, when he became attached to an engineer corps, engaged to survey for a railroad from Blossburg to Corning, in New York. He became the superinten- dent of the railroad, and later of the Bloomsburg coal mines, though he had scarcely attained his majority He returned to Philadelphia in 1842, and established the Fairmouut Rolling Mill. This was not a financial success, from the fact, as he believed, that cooperation throughout the whole iron trade was needed to place the industry on a firm footing. He sold it out in 1846.
About this period an event occurred that had a material influ- ence on his future life. In 1844 a fierce antagonism to Roman Catholicism arose. A number of churches were burned. The ^Nlayor called on all able-bodied citizens to arm in defense of law and order. " The Quaker youth Avent out with a cane, but in the excitement of the riot some one put a musket in his hands, and he patroled the streets with it for seven nights. For this violation of the principle of non-resistance he Avas called on to express regret, and to give a pi-omise of strict conformity to the rule thereafter. Believing himself harshly treated, he refused to do so and Avas expelled from the Society. He at once dropped the garb and language of the Friends and associated with other bodies. He never married, and if the event detailed had aught to do Avith the fact, the secret Avas faithfully kept to the last.
For a short time subsequent to 1846 he became manager of the Rensselaer Iron Works, at Troy, N. Y. , in Avhich railroad iron Avas being manufactured. He returned to Philadelphia in 1849, to inaugurate a convention of iron men. The poverty of the con- stituency forced the association to be content with inferior printing
6 PEOCEELINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
aud paper foi- its report. lu a letter to a friend he says: " Mr. Colville told me we must go over the State and get the interest of every iron-maker. I asktd him for money to pay my exptmses. He said I must beg it, as he had none. ' You must ask for con- tributions as you go along.' I started with $5. Sometimes I got a wagon, sometimes a horse ride, sometimes on foot — sometimes I got fifty cents. In one case 1 got 810. I saw them all, came back with between S200 and $300, and the American Iron and Steel Association became a flourishing body.'' He traveled 2,500 miles on this mission.
There seems nothing on record as to his occupation for the suc- ceeding ten years, but in a letter to a friend he remarks that he attended faithfully to his office work during the day and employed his evenings in studying and classifyiuec the plants collected on Sunday.
In le61 he was elected to the presidency of the Reading Rail- road Company. From a comparatively local and almost bankrupt organization, he raised it to one of broad interest and a good divi- dend-paying concern — so profitable that in the trying times of the beginning of the civil war his company loaned the Government two millions and a half of dollars. In 1869 it stood in prosperity second to none in the country.
His health broke down. His medical adviser urged his resigna- tion and suggested several things he might do At length the physician, in a peculiar way, remarked that he had " better go to grass." The joke had a good effect. He took the advice literally, resigned, and turned to botany for consolation. He still retained his position on the Board of Directors. On the 18th of April, 1869, he sailed on the " Scotia " for an extended tour of Europe, during which botanical study was his chief recreation, although he deeply enjoyed all that Avould interest a broad-minded man of aflfairs. He lelurned on the loth of September, 1870.
Some years later he discovered that the great railroad company that had been the pride of his life, was bankrupt under the man- agement of his successor in the presidency. The effect on his health was seriously depressing. By night, as by day, the rail- road was ever in his mind. While greatly troubled by insomnia, he was requested by the Secretary of the Academy to read the proof-sheets of a botanical paper in course of publication. To his
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 7
surprise he found that the mental application required for proof- reading was an excellent remedy for his sleeplessness. The applica- tion required for the task di'ove out thoughts of the railroad's dis- aster. He begged for more, both fi'om the Academy and fi'om friends, and the greater part of his subsequent life was devoted, as one of the best means for preserving health, to his favorite occupation of proof-reading.
Though not courting favors, he was highly esteemed by his fellow-citizens. For two successive years, 1877 and 1878, he was elected president of the Union League — one of the most enviable of Philadelphia's social positions.
His eminently practical character has been well illustrated by the reference to his journey through the State in the interests of the iron men, and by the details of his railroad affairs. He car- ried this quality into all his transactions. His close friend, Prof. T. C. Porter, relates that on a trip with him, Aubrey H. Smith and Dr. Joseph Leidy, in July and August, 1865, to Lake Supe- rior, they were much amused by his practical test of the truth of the Abbe Hue's statement that cow " cake " was better for kind- ling, but that horse " apples " Avere better for holding heat in a fire. The result proved the correctness of Abbe Hue's assertion. Dr. Porter further notes, as illustrative of the tendency to draw valuable conclusions from little things, that one of the party, having placed over the fire a branch of a spruce tree to aid in extinguishing it. Smith noted how the turpentine oozed from the twigs, flashed into a blaze and sent up as incense a cloud of fragrant white' smoke.
With all his love of facts, he was not devoid of sentiment. His private correspondence discloses an active interest in the good of others of which the world will never know. Few have suc- ceeded so well in preventing the left hand from knowing what the right hand was doing. His selection of a burial place in Laurel Hill Cemetery for his mother, on a spot that commanded the most delightful views of the Schuylkill and the surroundings, is a strik- ing testimony to his depth of sentiment.
We have already seen how he was early brought into a love for botany at the boarding-schocl. He was elected a member of the Academy in 1851, and served in some of the administrative offices until his death. He was appointed on the Publication Committee
8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
in 1892, in Avliich position he rendered especially valuable service. He served on the Finance Committee from December, 1890, and was one of the Council from May, 1891. At the time of his death he was, and had been for a number of years, Vice-Director of the Botanical Section.
His influence on American botany, and on American science generally, was exerted in such a quiet way that its full im- portance will never be appreciated. His critical mind led him to prefer • difficult subjects; hence carices, grasses and rushes had especial charms for him. He could readily see what others failed to observe, and ho became an authority on these subjects. While in the midst of his heavy labors in reconstructing the rail- road company, he was in active correspondence with Boott, Olney, Engelmaun and other specialists in the study of these difficult genera. Pie rather prided himself on going over oft-trodden ground and noting what others failed to see. By his persistency with Dr. Gray he finally induced this great botanist to recognize two new species from oft-explored localities in New Jersey, Avhich he named Scirpus Smlthii and Lobelia Canbyi, and this after he had failed to satisfy Boott and Olney of the distinctness of the forms. In explanation of his persistency he tells a friend, " When there seems to be reason for my sentiments, I must express them or die." In a letter to a friend, dated October 15, 1807, he remarks, "At ]\Ioosehead Lake I also got Grcvphephorum melicoides and Aspidium fragrans, heretofore only known as Western plants. It is a comfort to penetrate the hub of the universe and make the natives acquainted with their own plants. One feels good — that is to say, much like a missionary."
Apart from the beneficent influence the concentration required by good proof-reading had in counteracting insomnia, it was through his chosen work as proof-reader that he has left his impress, especially on botanical literature. He begged his friends, as a privilege, to permit him to read proofs for them. In the course of such work the contributions of his botanical friends underwent his ci'itical scrutiny; and the authors received the bene- fit of his watchful care. The corrections Avould often be clothed in dry humor. He once wrote to Dr. Gray on the issuance of a new edition of his Manual, " Have you observed from Gray's Manual that Solidar/o altissima grows only two to seven inches
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PIIILADEEI'IIIA. 9
high ?" The remarkable accuracy that marks the botanical labors of the last quarter of a century is in a great measui'e due to the impulse given to extra care by Charles E. Smith, The last edition of Leidy's Elementary Treatise on Human Anatomy, although carefully read by the author, would have described a certain process of the brain as the " Hippopotamus " — instead of the Hippocampus — minor, had it not been for Smith's supervision. It is not only in the superior accuracy of the literature of botany and allied studies that science is indebted to our friend. He was ever ready tfith encouragement for all botanical enterprises, and especially in the case of younger students. He took an especially warm interest in the establishment of the Ladies' Botanical Club of Syracuse, N. Y. , aiding the society by advice and material.
The ablest leaders relied on his judgment. Before the appearance of one of the editions of his Manual, Dr. Gray proposed extend- ing the area covered by it. The question was left to Mr. Smith, who decided adversely. He believed in thorough work, and held that this was favored by concentration rather than diffusion of effort. In this spirit he commenced a herbarium of the plants growing within fifteen miles of Philadelphia. This collection he bequeathed to the Academy, and it is regarded as a masterpiece of accurate labor. Every locality is exactly noted, and in every case the existence of the plant on the spot was verified by a personal examination, its identity being carefully ascertained.
The Recording Secretary of the Academy, whose official rela- tions brought him into intimate communication Avith Mr. Smith, remarks in reply to a note of inquiry :
" Although he Avas not a frequent visitor to the xA-cademy, he impressed me in the early years of his connection Avith it as a man of singular directness and personal force. A tone of command and authority, resonant voice, clear enunciation, and erect bearing conveyed the idea of perfect mental poise and a habit of rather directing than of conferring with his associates — but all this with- out a suspicion of arrogance or superciliousness."
He died on Sunday, the 15th of April, 1900, in the eightieth year of his age. The Academy, proud of its contributors to the advancement of knowledge among mankind, places with them in grateful remembrance the name of Charles Eastwick Smith.
10 TROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Juu ,
A REVIEW OF THE GENERA AND SPECIES OF AMERICAN SNAKES, NORTH OF MEXICO.
BY ARTHUR ERWIN BROWN.
In recent years, investigation of the lower groups in classifica- tion has largely taken the form of observing and noting the most minute variations, occurring in however small numbers. Among snakes, this method has lieen carried to such an extreme that Prof. Cope's " Characters and Variations of North American Snakes " ^ contains the names of twenty-three species and subspe- cies which were founded upon one, or at most two specimens each.
Two propositions, both fundamentally correct, have contributed to this result: first, that a knowledge of the laws under which new forms are developed is to be ])est gained by a study of variations ; and second, that subspecies are an essential part of classification. As a general truth the first proposition is unassailable, but there appear to be good reasons why limits should be placed upon its application to the present group and why a cautious valuation should here be made of minor variations. This should be true if it can be shown that unmeaning departures from type are especi- ally common among its members.
It is a law of organisms that a high degree of instability is associated with degenerative processes. That the serpents, as a whole, are a degenerate group is probable, and while some lines among them have become much specialized, there are large num- bers of small and degraded forms, always highly variable, which can be connected with higher types.
It is, furthermore, a moi'phological fact that where repetition of parts is the rule, variability, in number at least, is to be looked for.'^ Among snakes, generic and specific characters are chiefly
' Proc. U. S. National Museum, 1892, pp. 589-684.
* A very simple summary of a long series of observed facts is contained iu Bateson's Materials for the Study of Variation, p. 571 (London, 1894): ''It is perhaps true that, on the whole, series containing large numbers of undif- ferentiated parts more often show Meristic Variation than series made up of a few parts much differentiated, l)i]t throughout the evidence a good many of the latter class are nevertheless to be seen."
1901.] NATUKAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 11
found in the teeth, in the plates upon the head, and iu the numljer and form of the rows of body scales; all of these are numerous, and variability under the above law is common.
Color is largely used in specific, and almost wholly in subspecific determination, and this, too, we should expect to find inconstant in a group whose structure is such that the whole exterior is brought into close contact, surface or subterranean, with earth, sometimes swamp and sometimes desert sand, and whose slow metabolism brings such physiological activities as temperature, nutrition and epidermal repair into close dependence upon exter- nal conditions.
There is, again, a class of anomalies not uncommon in this group, such as are shown^ at times in genera like Coluber or Zamenis, in which the young of some species are spotted or cross- banded, becoming striped when adult. Here, occasionally, more or less of the juvenile pattern is retained, showing through, as it were, the later stage. Examples of such are Coluber guttatus ■sellatus Cope and C. rosaceus Cope. This class of variations is purely physiological, and when occurring in isolated cases, has no more zoological significance than the occasional retenlion to matu- rity of the youthful livery of spots in lions.
Aside from anomalies, there are characters which are too variable, normally, to be of use except in broad definitions. Form and proportions, both of the whole and of parts, vary considerably; among those which change with growth are the relative length of the tail (which also varies with sex), and the reciprocal propor- tions of some head plates; breadth of head and stoutness of body change to an extraordinary degree with nutritive conditions, a fact which can be best learned by observation of snakes kept in captivity.*
The system of trinomials has added greatly to the facilities for expressing the relationship of transiti(mal forms, but while its value is fully conceded, so also must be the existence of the danger which has attended and not infrequently overtaken it — that the very ease of its methods may lead the systematist to overvalue the importance of individual and insignificant variations.
^ A suggestion as to the possible origin of occasional specimens presenting mixed characters, is that among snakes which breed iu captivity there seems to be little orno aversion to cnss-breeding. This is especially true of Eutmnia and Tropklonotus, both of which produce young free from the egg, and breed not infrequently.
12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
The chief purpose of the present paper is to inquire into the nature of these variations, and to determine if possible how far they are promiscuous and without meaning, or to what extent they may be beheved to fall within those ideas of progressive modifica- tion, without which as a guiding principle, the practice of tax- onomy is mere byplay. The conception which has directed the inquiry, is that a relatively high degree of constancy and isolation is essential to the recognition of a species ; and that variations, to be of subspecific value, must be of such a character as to offer reasonable grounds for the belief that they are stages of change; an important pai't of such character being that they shall occur in sufficient numbers to constitute centres, so to speak, upon lines leading from established forms.
The color descriptions have in a large proportion of cases been taken from the living snake ; to which it may be added that in addition to the alcoholic series to which I have had access, includ- ing that of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, which now contains the whole private collection of the late Prof. Cope, nearly four thousand living specimens of North American snakes have passed under my observation, in the course of identify- ing the large amount of material in this group which comes into possession of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia.
The more recent works w'hich treat with modern methods, of the whole field of North American snakes, are the paper of Prof. Cope, above referred to,"* and Mr. G. A. Boulenger's Catalogue of Snakes in the British Museum (1893-96).
With neither of these distinguished naturalists am I able to find myself in full accord; the one appearing to mc to err in excess of analysis, quite as much as the other does in the opposing method.
The literature has been so fully worked out by Mr. Boulenger,
■* Since the completion of the present paper (October, 1900), the E^po^•t of the U. S. Natiorud MuseurnloT 1898 has appt^ared. containing Prof. Cope's posthumous work on North American sealed reptiles (Serpentes, pp. G83~ 1198). I find that few of the conclusions which I bad reached are thereby altered, for the chief additions to his previous paper of 1892 result from the introduction of characters drawn from the male generative organ. Tiiese were not made nse of in the present paper, for examination of much of Cope's material, and some further investigations of my own, had satisfied me that much verification and exteasi(ni remains to be done before their valne in generic determination can be established. Such changes as I have made have been introduced into the text, and references to the paper are given as "Cope, Kep. Nat- Mu'^.,'" "Cope, /.c," indica'^ingthe previous paper, above cited.
1901.] >'ATUKAL SCIENX'ES OF PHILADELl'IIIA. 13
that the references given in this paper are such only as aie neces- sary to historical exactness, being in most cases to the original description ; to the works of Cope and 'Boulenger cited ; to Baird and Girard's Catalogue of North American Siud-es (1853); to some late papers by Mr. Stejneger, and to a valuable paper by Mr. Yan Denburg on the reptiles of the Pacific coast. ^
GLAUCONIID^. GLAUCONIA, Grey.
Cat. Lizards, Br. Mus., 139 (1845); Hoia B. and G., Cat. Serp. No. Am., 149 (1853); Glauconia and Renn Cope, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1892, 539, 590 ; Glauconia BouL, Cat. Snakes Br. Mus., I, 59.
No maxillary teeth; rostral large, projecting; one nasal, divided or half-divided and touching the lip; eyes covered with scales; an ocular which reaches the lip; a median row of scales extending to the rostral; body surrounded with cycloid scales; anal entire; body cylindrical; tail short and blunt; head not distinct.
Hab. — Africa; southwestern Asia; tropical America.
Two species are known in the United States :
Supraoculars present, I. G. dulcis.
Supraoculars absent, 2. G. hmnilis.
Glauconia dulcis B. and G.
Rena dulcis B. and G., I. c, 142; Glauconia. dulcis Cope, I. c, 590; Boul., I. c, I, 65 ; Leptotyphlops dulcis Stej., Proc. U. 6. Nat. Mus., 1891, 501 ; Glauconia dissecta and G. dulcis Cope, Eep. Nat. Mus., 716, 717.
Size small; two or three pairs of plates in front of frontal; a supraocular plate on each side with a smaller one between them; nasal divided; scales in 14 rows. Length about 200 mm. (tail about one-twentieth). Pale brown above; white on belly.
G. dissecta Cope, may prove to be distinct, but the inconstancy of the head shields in these low, burrowing forms is a strong j^re- sumption against it.
Hab. — Texas, New Mexico and Mexico.
' Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Science, No. 5, 1897.
14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Glauconia humilis B. and G.
Rena 7iumiUs B. and G., I. c, 143, aud Cope. I. c, 590; Glauconia kumilis, Boul., I. c, I, .7i>, and Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 719; Rena humilis Stej., I. c, 501 ; Siagonodon humilis Van Den., I. c, 150.
Like G. chdcis, but no supraoculars ; the oculars being separated
by one shield instead of three.
Hab. — Arizona, southern and Lower California; Mexico.
BOID^.
LICHANURA Cope.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1861, 304 ; I. c, 590 ; Rep. Nat. Mus., 722 ; Boul., /. c, I, 129.
Hoad covered with scales; two nasals; no labial pits; eye with vertical pupil; body short and stout; tail short, blunt and slightly pi'ehensile; subcaudals undivided.
Hab. — Southwestern North America.
Lichanura roseofusca Cope.
Proc. Acal. Phila., 1868, 2 ; L. roaeofasca and orcutti Cops, I. c, 591, 592, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 724, 7^6 ; L. orcutti Stej. , Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1889, 96 ; L. trieirgata (part) Boul., I. c, I, 129.
Head slightly distinct; rostral prominent; eye surrounded with a ring of nine or ten scales; anterior nasals in contact; 4-6 small plates behind the nasals, rest of head covered with small scales; body cylindrical; scales small and smooth, in 33-43 rows; ven- trals 224-241; subcaudals 39-47. Total length about 980 mm. (tail 110).
Grayish or brownish above, sometimes with three rather indis- tinct brown stripes on the body; belly yellowish or reddish, irregu- larly mottled with brown.
Mr. Stejueger has clearly shown the great variability of scutel- lation in these snakes,* and the very wealth of observation which he brings forward destroys the value of the chief character upon which L. orcutti rests; the presence of an additional loreal. In addition to which is the fact that in the Boiche these plates are so inconstant as to be without classificatory meaning.
Hab, — Southern California and Arizona. A closely ^^related species, L. trivirgata, is found in Lower California.
s Proc. IT. S. Nat. Mus., 1891, p. 511.
1901. J NATURAL SCIENCES OF nilLADELPHIA. 15
CHARINA Circy. Cat. Sn. Br. Mus., 113 (1849); Cope, I. c, 592 ; Boul., I. c, I, 130.
Anterior teeth longest ; head covered with shields ; a frontal plate ; two nasals, eye small with vertical pupil ; tail short, not pi'ehensile; subcaudals undivided,
Hab. — Western coast of North America.
Charina bottae Blainville.
Tortrix bottce Blain., Nouv. Ann., 1834, 57, PI. XXVI, fig. 1; Wenona plumbea and isahella B. and G., I. c, 139, 140 ; Charina botke Cope, I. c, 592, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 728 ; C. botUp. Boiil., I. c, I, 130.
Body short and stout; rostral prominent; two nasals, the anterior frequently fused with the internasals; loreal sometimes fused with prefrontals; head plates variable ; upper labials 8-11; scales smooth in 37-49 rows; ventrals 192-211; anal entire; sub- caudals 20-37, mostly entire. Total length about 550 mm. (tail 50). Grayish to brownish above, yellow beneath.
In the present genus Mr. Stejneger has again demonstrated the worihlessness of characters drawn from the scales,'' although he prefers to provisionally retain jylumbea B. and G. The difference of four rows of scales between the type of bottce and the minimum of plumbea is much less than the normal range of variability in almost every known species of BokUe.
Hab. — Oregon to Lower California and Nevada.
Charina brachyops Cope.
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1888, 88 ; I. c, 592, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 727 ; Boul., I. c, I, 131.
One specimen only is known of this species. It differs from bottce in that the posterior prefrontal forms a part of the orbit, and the loreal is absent, leaving the postnasal in contact with the preocular. The constancy of these characters is not known, and the form is retained provisionally.
Hab. — Point Reyes, California.
'' Proc. U. S. Nat. Jhis., 1890, p. 177.
16 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AC.VDEMY OF [Jan.,
COLUBRID^/ Key to the Genera.
I. aglypha;:
A. — Posterior dorsal hypapopliyses present:
a. — Maxillary teeth longer bsliiml; scales keeled:
a\ — Anal entire; no scale pits, .... EaT^ESiA. _^ 6\ — Anal divided:
2 interaasals; scale pits present,
Tropidonotus. 2 internasals; no scale pits; keeled only on tail,
Semixatrix. 1 internasal; no scale pits; keeled only on tail,
Helicops. h.- Maxillary teeth equal; scales keeled:
a}. — Anal entire, Tropidocloxium.
h^. — 'Anal divided:
cr. — Loreal absent, Storeria.
h'. — Loreal present :
a\— 1 nasal; 1 preocular, . . Clonophis. i\ — 2 nasals; preocular absent:
2 internasals, .... Amphiardis.
1 internasal, Haldea.
B. — Posterior dorsal hypapopliyses absent : ' a. — Maxillary teeth equal, or nearly so: a\ — Anal entire:
a^ — Scales smooth ; size large:
Snout normal; scales less than 17 rows,
Spilotes. Snout elongate ; scales more than 25 rows,
RHINECIIId.
h"^. — Scales smooth; size small and slender; no loreal ; pre- and postfrontals touching labials,
Stilosoma. C-. — Scales keeled; size large; 4-6 prefrontals,
PiTYOPHIS.
6\ — Anal divided:
a\ — Scales keeled:
2 nasals; size large; spotted or striped,
Coluber. 1 nasal; size small; color green,
Cyclophis.
• Although not strictly followed here, the plan of serial arrangement of the genera of C'o?«6/'i(Z(e adopted by Mr. Boulenger possesses a decided advan- tage, ia that it does not pretend to a knowledge of close affinities which we have not gained.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 17
b"'. — Scales smooth :
a^ — Loreal and preocular present:
1 preocular; 1 nasal; color not green,
CONTIA.
1 preocular; 1 nasal j color green,
LlOPELTIS.
2 preoculars; 2 nasals,
DiADOPHIS.
6^ — Preocular absent:
2 internasals; 2 nasals; size small,
Virginia. 2 internasals; 1 uasal ; large; bluisli- l)lack with red stripes, . . Abastor. 1 internasal ; 1 nasal ; large ; bluish- black with red spots, . . Farancia. 1-2 or no internasals; 1 nasal; small; brown, Carphophis
c\ — Loreal absent:
Nasal usually fused with first labial,
FiCIMIA.
Nasal usually fused with internasal,
Chilomeniscus. h. — Maxillary teeth longer behind; no interspace: a' — Anal divided :
Rostral normal, Zamenis.
Rostral ^vith projecting edges,
Salvadora. h\ — Anal entire: a". — 2 nasals:
Rostral normal ; subcaudals divided
Ophibolus. Rostral projecting; subcaudals entire,
Rhinochilus. Ir. — 1 nasal, rostral projecting,
Cemophora. c. — Maxillary teeth longer behind; an interspace:
a\ — Anal entire; 3-4 loi'eals; rostral with projecting
edges, PflYLLORHYNGHUS.
h\ — Anal divided; 1 loreal:
Scales keeled; rostral recurved,
Heterodon. Scales smooth, with pits; 2 preoculars,
Hypsiglena. Scales smooth, without pits; 1 preocular,
Rhadinea.
18 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
II. OPISTIIOGLYPHA :
a. — Anterior maxillary teeth elongated; 2 loreals,
Trimorphodon. b. — Anterior maxillary teeth not elongated: a'. — Loreal present:
Scale pits present; eye uith vertical pupil,
SiBON.
Scale pits absent ; eye with round pupil,
Erythrolamprus. b\ — Loreal absent, Tantilla.
III. PEOTEROGLYPHA :
Scales smooth in 15 rows; red, with black and yellow rings,
Elaps.
EUT.a:NIA B. and G.
I.e., 24 (1853); CMlopoma Cope, Wheeler Surv., 543; Atomarchns Cope, Am. Nat., 1883, 1300 ; Eutcenia Cope, I. c, 645, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 1014; Tropidonotus (part) Boul., L c, I, 192 ; T hamnophis Stej., No. Am. Fauna, 7, 210.'
Maxillary teeth smooth, gradually increasing behind, last 2-3 rather abruptly enlarged; head scales normal; 1 loreal; 2 nasals; 2 internasals ; body stout to very slender ; head distinct ; scales keeled, without pits in 17-23 rows; anal entire.
Hab. — North America and ^lexico.
The snakes of this genus seem open to every possibility of varia- tion; they exist everywhere in great numbers between the fiftieth and fifteenth degrees of latitude ; many of them are of semi-aquatic habits, and the complexity of their pattern easily runs into irregu- larities, the reckless naming of which has added to the confusion. In The Primary Factors of Organic Evolution, p. G3 (1896), Prof. Cope states that he recognizes forty-nine species and sub- species in this genus. Nevertheless, if the systematist will but remember that heredity does not act with the exact methods of mechanical reproduction, certain fairly definite groups may be made out, to which these anomalies may with some certainty be assigned.
• In this paper ]Mr. Stejneger endeavors to substitute for the well-estab- lished Eutcenia B. and G. Fiizinger's name Thnmnophu {Si/st. Bept., p. 26, 1843), and seeks to remove that author's mideiiued genera from the class of nomina nuda, by the statement that "the simple tact that Fitzinger ex- pressly indicated the type of the genus at once removes them from that cate- gory." It is true that it does so by rule of the American Ornithologists' Union, bat elsewhere, and in my opinion properly, the best usage refuses to sanction these names.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 19
Koj to the Species.
I. Body with lougitudinal stripes; 2 labials in orbit:
A. — Body very slender ; tail long; lateral stripe on third and fourth rows; all scales keeled, in 19 rows: a. — Tail I of length, ol' rather more:
7 upper labials; brown with 3 yellow stripes,
1. E. saurita.
8 upper labials; olive; dorsal usually absent,
2. E. sackeni. h. — Tail -J^ of length or rather less; 8 upper labials,
3. E. jyroxima. B. — Body stouter; tail shorter:
a. --Scales in 21 rows (occ. 19) :
a\ — Lateral stripe on third and fourth roAvs:
Usuall}' 8 labials; 21 rows, . 4. E. megcdops.
Usually 7 labials; occ. 19 rows, 5. E. radix.
y. — Lateral stripe on second and third rows; labials
8 (occ. 19 rows and 7 labials), 6. E. elegans.
h.— Scales in 19 rows (occ. 21) :
Usually 8 labials; head broad, . . 7. E. eque-^. Usually 7 labials ; head narrow, . 8. E. sirtalis. II. Body without stripes; 21 rows:
1 labial in orbit; brown with 7 rows of spots,
9. E. midtimaculata.
2 labials in orbit ; brown with small reddish spots anteriorly,
10. E. rufojnmetata.
Eutaenia saurita L.
Coluber saitrita L., Syst. Nat., XII, 335 (1766); Eutmiia saurita B. and G., I. c, 24 ; Cope, I. c, 650, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1020 ; Troju- donotus saurita (part) BouL, I. c, I, 212.
Upper labials 7 (rarely 8); oculars 1-3; temporals 1-2 (3); body slender and elongated; tail from .36 to .28 of total length; scales in 19 rows, all keeled; ventrals 150-170; subcaudals 95- 120; chocolate brown, with three yellow stripes, the lateral on the third and fourth rows; belly yellow or greenish white; top of head dark brown; a spot on parietals; labials yellow, unmarked. The largest specimen I have seen is in the Academy's collection, from Minnesota, and measures 865 mm. (tail 240). As is usually the case with large examples, the tail is here rather short, about .27.
Hab. — United States, east of Mississippi river.
20 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Eutaenia sackeni Kennicott.
Proc. Ac. Phil., 1859,98; Cope, I. c. GoO, ami Kep. Nat. Mus., 1019; T. saurita (part) Boul., I. c, 1,212.
Scutellation and proportions as in saurita, but the upper labials are almost invariably 8, instead of 7. The color is greenish olive, or blackish in old specimens, and the dorsal stripe is usually absent, in such cases showing faintly for a short distance l:)ehiud the head. Total length 710 mm. (tail 255).
Hab. — Florida.
Eutaenia proxima Say.
Coluber proximus Say, Long's E.Kp., I, 187 (1823); Eutceiiia proxima and E. Faireyi B. and G., I. c, 25 ; E. p)roxima Cope, I. c, 65U, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 1022 ; 2'. saurita (part) Boul., I. c. I, 212.
Head small ; body slender, though stouter and with shorter tail than in the preceding species; upper labials 8; oculars 1-3; tem- porals 1-2 (3); scales in 19 rows, all keeled; ventrals 165-178; subcaudais 91-115; dark olive or brownish to almost black; dor- sal stripe distinct, bright yellow to orange; lateral stripe on third and fourth rows, usually pale or greenish yellow ; belly yellow' or green, usually without markings; top of head dark, with a pari- etal spot; labials colored like the belly. Sometimes the dorsal and lateral stripes are of the same color; very dark specimens with such stripes, chiefly from the northern portions of its range, are faireyi B. and G. These have often a slightly longer tail, but the differences are not constant. The usual length of large examples from the Mississippi valley is about 800 mm., of which the tail is from .33-. 28, but a living specimen lately received by the Zoologi- cal Society from Pecos, Tex., is 1160 mm. long (tail 280). In this the tail is but .24 of the length, being the shortest I have met with in the species. The dorsal stripe is a rich red.
Hab. — Indiana and Illinois to southern Mexico, and west through Texas. It is not certainly known from east of the Mis- sissipj)i except in the States named.
Eutaenia radix B. and G.
I. c, 34 ; Cope, I. c, 650, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1026 ; T. ordinatus var. radix Boul., I. c, I, 211.
Body moderately stout; head broad; upper labials 7 (occ. 8); oculars 1-3; temporals 1-2 ; ventrals 145-170; subcaudais 51-70; scales in' 21 or 19 rows, all keeled, the outer slightly. Brown, olive or' almost black, with three stripes, the dorsal usually golden
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 21
or orauge, aud the laterals ou the third and fourth row, paler yel- low ; the spots are distinct except when the body color is so dark as to obscure them; belly green to slaty black, with a dark spot at the base of each ventral near the end; parietal spot usually present; labials yellowish or green, heavily margined with dusky. Total length 750 mm. (tail from .20-. 24).
Although radix usually has 21 rows of scales, four out of five specimens which I have lately received from eastern Missouri have 19.
Hab. — From the Rocky Mountains to Indiana, and the British possessions to Texas. The common species of the plains.
Eutsenia megalops Kenuicott.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860, 330. Confusion has been introduced into this species by inaccurate description and identification. Typical megalops is from Arizona; its Mexican representative is macrostemma Kenn. Sundry speci- mens of the latter Prof. Cope described under the name insig- niarum, attributing to it markings ob?cure or wanting, as com- pared with macrostemma ; five specimens in the Academy's collection from the City of Mexico, referred by Cope himself to insigniarum, do not, however, bear out this statement, and I can see no reason for regarding that form as distinct from macrostemma,^^ which probably does not enter the United States.
Eutaenia megalops megalops Kennicott.
/. c.,330 ; E. mcgdlops and E. macrostemma insigniarum (part) Cope, I. c, 650, 651; T. ordinatus var. macrostemma (part) Bonl., I. c, I, 212 ; E. megalops and E. macrostemma Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 1025, 1029.
Body moderately stout; tail from .19-.2G of length; eye large;
scales in 21 rows, the outer irregularly keeled; upper labials 8 (9),
the last one small; temporals 1-2 (3). Brown or ashy with
three narrow yellow stripes, the lateral on third and fourth rows;
spots present, but not very distinct; belly usually green, bases of
ventrals dusky; no j)arietal nor nuchal spots; a small post-oral
crescent sometimes present; labials slightly margined; ventrals
158-164; subcaudals 52-65. Total length of two specimens
from Tucson: 740 mm. (tail 140), 690 mm. (tail 140). Three
specimens of this snake were sent to the Zoological Society in 1891,
i^In his latest work Cope himself abandons insigniarum in favor oi macro- stemma.
22 PROCEEDINGS OF TilE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
from Tucson, Ariz., by Mr. Herbert Brown, and were ascribed by Cope (^. c. , p. 051) to insirjniarum. They Avere at the time con- sidered by me to be merjalops. They are now in the Academy's collection, and reexamination shows that they do not correspond to Cope's description of the first species, n ir to five examples of that supposed form from Mexico, but they do agree in all respects with Kennicott's description of megalops, except that the spots are slightly more distinct and the upper labials are variable; one has them 8-8, another 8-9, and the third 9-9. In the five macrostemma Kenn. (^ hi'iicjniarum Cope) from Mexico, the largest of which measures 990 mm., I find the tail to be about one-fourth of the length, or longer than in most adult vier/alops, which reverses the proportions given by Cope ; a smaller megalops from Duck creek, New Mexico, in the Cope collection, 610 mm. long, has the tail about .26, and more ventrals and subcaudals, but is otherwise exactly like my Tucson specimens.
Hab. — New Mexico, Arizona and northern Mexico.
Eutaenia elegans B and G. I. c, 34.
As a rule elegans has 21 rows of scales and 8 labials, but varia- tions to 19 rows and 7 labials are not uncommon, and in one form
23 rows sometimes appear; oculars 1 (2)-3 (4); temporals 1-2 (sometimes 1-1 or 1-3); posterior chin shields about equal in length to the anterior; head rather small; eye small or moderate ; size rathftr smaller than E. sirtalis ; tail .19-25 of length; ven- trals 144-180; subcaudals 53-90. The lateral stripe is on the second and third rows ; the diversity of color is considerable, and is best stated under subspecific heads. E. elegans is a western* form, ranging from the central plains to the Pacific coast.
Key to the Subspecies.
ct. — Post-oral crescent absent:
Color dark ; spots and lat. stripe often indistinct,
1. E. e. elegans. Color lighter; spots encroaching on stripes,
2. E. e. vagrans. Often 2 preoculars and 23 rows; otherwise like vagrans,
3. E. e. biscutata. b. — Post-oral crescent present:
Spots and strijies distinct, . . . . 4. E. e. marciana. Spots and stripes indistinct or absent, . 5. E. e. couchi.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF nilLADELPHIA. 23
Eutaenia elegans elegans B. and G.
E. elegans B. and G., I. c, 34 ; E. e. elegans, E. e. plutonia and E. e. brunnca Cope, I. c, 653, 654, and Eep. Nat. Miis., 1035, 1037; T. vagrans (part) and T. ordinatus var. infcrnalis (part) Boul., I. c, I, 202, 207 ; Thamnophis elegans (part) Van Den., Occ. Papers Cal. Ac. of Sc, No. 5, 207 (1897); Thamnoi^his elegans Stej., No. Am. Fauna, No. 7, 211.
Color usually dark brown, olive or black, obscuring the spots; dorsal stripe moderately wide and distinct, whitish, yellow or red; laterals usually, but not always, distinct; there are no nuchal spots and^the labials are without dark margins; belly generally light, with a distinct yellowish tinge on the throat; eye moderate; posterior chin shields about equal the anterior; A^entrals 155-172; sub- caudals 57-80.
E. jilutonia YaiTOw was based upon two melanistic individuals, one from Arizona and the other from Washington.
I can see no valid reason for retaining E. brunnea Cope.
Hab. — California to Oregon.
Eutaenia elegans vagrans B. and G.
E. vagrans B. and G., I. c, 35 ; E. e. lineolata and E. e. vagrans Cope, I. c, 655, 656, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1038, 1039 ; T. vagrans (part) Boul., I. c, I, 202 ; Tlianinophis vagrans Stej., I. c, 213 ; T. vagrans (part) Van Den., I. c, 210.
E. vagrans has almost always 21 rows and 8 upper labials; ven- trals 153-172; subcaudals 53-91; the eye is smaller than in elegans and the posterior chin shields either equal the anterior in length or are rather less. Color, greenish yellow or ashy to brown ; the spots are rather small and numerous, they are usually distinct and often tend to join together, forming zigzag cross- bands ; they usually encroach upon the stripes, which are whitish or yellow; the belly is frequently marbled with slate color, espe- cially in the centre; head brown or blackish with parietal spot and nuchal blotches generally present; labials rarely dark bordered and then but narrowly.
Hab. — The region of the plains and the Pacific coast from
southern California to Oregon.
Eutaenia elegans biscutata Cope.
E. biscutata Cope, Proc. Acad. Phila., 1883, 21 ; I. c, 651, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 1032; T. vagrans (part) Boul., I. c., I, 202; Thamno- pJiis vagrans biscutata Van Deu., I. c., 212.
This form was established by Prof. Cope upon a melanistic speci- men of small size, with two preoculars and 21-22 rows of scales.
24 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Mr. Van Denburgh has examined a nnmber which have 2, 3, and occasionally 1 preocular; sometimes 7 labials and 21-23 rows; all these being from Washington and Oregon. jVllowing for donbt as to the significance of these variations, the form may be provisionally retained as a subspecies of E. elegans.
Eutaenia elegans marciana B. and G.
JS. Marciana B. and G. , I. c, 36 ; E. e. marciana Cope, I. c, 656, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 1045 ; E. nigrolateris A. Brown, Proc. Acad. Phila., 1889, 421; T. ordinaius var. mai'cianus Boa\., I. c, I, 211.
Largest of the subspecies; 21 rows of scales; upper labials 8; temporals 1-2 (3); iDosterior chin shields rather longest; ventrals 149-163; subcaudals 53-85. Light brown or ashy; dorsal stripe narrow and not always distinct ; laterals of the same shade, but frequently merged into the belly color; spots distinct and conspicu- ous, sometimes encroaching a little upon the stripes; belly light with a dark spot at the base of each ventral near the end; nuchal and parietal spots present; labials heavily bordered, and a con- spicuous pale post-oral crescent.
E. nigrolateris A. Brown was based upon an individual from Tucson, the most striking character of which, apart from obvious abnormalties, was the extension of the preocular upward to meet the frontal. Since then I have examined several marciana which exhibit a tendency in this direction.
Hab. — Central Texas to western Arizona.
Eutaenia elegans couchi Kennicott.
E. coucltii Kenn., Pac. E. R. Rep., 10 (1857), and E. hammondii Kenn., Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860, 332; E. e. couchii Cope, I. c, 656, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1042 ; T. ordinatus vars. couchii and ham- mondii Boul., I. c, I, 210 ; Thamnophis hammondii y am Den., I. c, 212.
Moderately stout; 21 rows of scales (occ. 19); upper labials 8 (rarely 7); posterior chin shields longest; ventrals 159-173; subcaudals 68-85. Grayish brown, dark brown or olive; dorsal stripe narrow, indistinct or absent; lateral stripe not very distinct; spots almost always absent, although a few black dots are some- times visible on the scales; belly yellowish to black; labials dark bordered; nuchal blotches present; post-oral crescent less distinct than in marciana.
Hab. — California and Arizona.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PIIILADELrniA. 25
Eutaenia eques Reuss.
Coluber eques Reuss., Mns. Senck., I, 153 ;^^ E. cyrtopsis, E. c. ocellata and E. aurata Cope, I. c, 656, 659 ; 2'. ordiiuitus var. eques (part) Boul., I. c, I, 209 ; E. eques Cope, Rep. Nat. 3[us., 1049.
Body moderately stout ; head broad behind ; eye large ; scales in 19 rows, the outer smooth or faintly keeled ; upper labials 8; oculars 1-3; temporals 1-3; posterior chin shields much the longest. Brownish olive ; dorsal stripe narrow, said to be red in life; laterals paler, on the second and third rows; two series of large black spots between the dorsal and latei*al stripes; anteriorly and on the middle of the body the spots often fuse transversely^ forming zigzag bands; the spots encroach considerably upon the stripes, sometimes breaking through the lateral one, especially anteriorly; a third row of spots on the outer row of scales and the ends of the ventrals; belly whitish, each scutum black at the base on the ends; top of head olive; large and conspicuous nuchal blotches; labials yellowish white borda^ed with black; chin yellow- ish; ventrals 151-169; subcaudals 0-1-74; tail about .23 of length.
According to Dr. Coues, this species grows to quite the size of E. sirtalis around Fort Whipple, Ariz.
E. cyrtopsis ocellata Cope was founded upon specimens collected by G. W. Marnock at Helotes, Tex., in which the lateral stripe is cut completely through in places by the lower row of dorsal spots. There are two specimens in the Cope collection from the same locality and collector; one in every way corresponds with Kennicott's description of cyrtopsis, the other is ocellata for about four inches behind the head, and eques on the rest of the body.
It is not easy to reconcile the original description of E. aurata Cope with the type and only specimen, which is simply a well- fattened and stout eques, with the spots obscure, though indicated. The specimen is mutilated and the brown color has disappeared in the preservative fluid, but in every character not dependent upon prominence of the spots, it belongs to the present species.
Hab. — Western Texas to Arizona; northern Mexico.
Eutaenia sirtalis L-
Coluber sirtalis L., Sj^st. Nat., Ed. X, 22-2 (1758).
This is rather a stout species; head distinct and moderately large; tail from .20 to .25 of the length; oculars 1 (2)-3 (4);
11 I have been unable to verify this reference, and it is adopted here on the authority of Eoulenger and Cope.
26 PROCEEDINGS OF IHE ACADEMY OF {JaU.,
temporals 1 anterior, ^vith 1, 2 or 3 iu the second row; upper labials almost always 7, but iu one subspecies 6 or 8; posterior chin shields lougest; scales in 19 rows (occ, 17 or 21), the outer row smooth or faintly keeled; veutrals 138-165; sub-caudals 55-85. The color range is very great : bluish, green, olive, brown and almost black, usually with a dorsal stripe and a lateral on the second and third rows, and three rows of spots on the back and side; any or all of these may be absent; belly yellow, green or black, generally with a roundish spot near the end of each ventral; the head is dark above, usually with a parietal sj^ot ; labials mar- gined with dusky. Maximum length about 900 mm.
Hab. — The Avhole of North America, wherever snakes are found, and extending into Mexico.
Key to the Subspecies.
Green, with spots, usually no stripes, . . . \. E. s. ordinatm. Stripes and spots present; no red on sides, . . 2. E. s. sirtalis. Stripes and sj^ots often obscure; generall}^ red on sides,
3. E. s. jiciTietalis. Color very dark ; 3 stripes; belly blue-black, 4. E. s. 2nckermgi. Color dark, 3 stripes; head small; often 17 rows,
5. E. s. leptocephala.
Eutaenia sirtalis ordinata L.
Coluber ordinatus L., Syst. Nat., Ed. XII. 379 (1766); E. s. ordinata and E. s. (jraniinea (part) Cope, I. c, 662, and Rep. Nat. Mns., 1066, 1067; 2\ ordinatus forma typica Boul., /. c, I, -206.
Green above; usually without stripes; spots generally distinct, but in some cases obscure; belly greenish white; 19 rows of scales; 7 labials.
Hab. — United Stat(!S east of Mississippi river.
Eutaenia sirtalis sirtalis L.
Coluber sirtalis L., Syst. Nat., Ed. X, 222 (1758); B. s. sirtalis, E. s. (jraviiiiea (part), E. s. semifasciata, E. s. obsciira and E. butleri Cope, I. c, 662, 663, 651, and Kcp. Nat. Miis., 1066, 1067-74, 1031 ; 7\ ordinatus var. sirt((lis (part) and var. butleri Boul., /. c, I, 206, 212; Thamnopliis butleri Stej., Proc. U.S. Nat. I\his., 1891, 593; E. bruchystoma Cope, Am. Nat., 1892, 964, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1056.
This subspecies has almost always 19 rows of scales and 7 upper labials; oculars 1-3; tem^iorals usually 1-2 (3), occasionally 1-1; the color is variable, but is usually brown, bluish or green, with the three light stripes well defined ; spots rather large and usually
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 27
distinct; top of head dark ; parietal spot present ; labials yellowish or greenish, with dark borders; ventrals 138-165; subcaudals 61-80. Length, 750 to 950 ram., of which the tail is from .20 to .25.
Some of the specimens referred by Prof. Cope to E. s. graminea have the stripes more or less distinctly marked; these I assign to the present form.
E. s. semifasciata Cope is based upon a few individuals in which the spots are somewhat confluent anteriorly — a disposition by no means uncommon in many of the species of this genus.
Specimens in the Academy's collection labeled obsciDxi by Cope plainly show the dorsal spots, although not prominently; similar individuals may be found in almost any lot of E. s. sirtalis col- lected in one locality; w^estern examples of obscura are probably referable to E. s. pariefalis. The only thing which appears to me out of the ordinary about the form, is that any one should have thought of giving it a name.
The basis of E. butlerl Cope was a specimen from Richmond, Indiana, the special characters of Avhich were: the great width of the lateral stripe, covering three rows of scales ; the black borders of the stripes; the absence of defined spots and of markings on the head and labials, and the presence of but one temporal in the second row. To these distinctions Mr. Stejneger has added, from a second specimen in the National Museum, that the eye is strikingly small. I have not seen the type specimen, from Rich- mond, but two others (No. 6523, Ac. coll.) from southeastern Indiana, labeled by Cope E. butlerl, present intermediate charac- ters. In these examples, the lateral stripe nowhere " covers " the second, third and fourth rows, being everywhere restricted to the lower half of the fourth, and anteriorly, where it most extends on the fourth, it barely covers the upper margin of the second, while on the hinder half of the body it is almost wholly on the second and third. The sijots are not entirely absent, though obscure against the dark bod}- color, and in one of the specimens they form narrow broken borders to the stripes, as in many of Cope's obscura; the posterior labials have narrow dark borders, and there is an indistinct parietal spot. Both have two temporals in the second row; in one the lower is narrow and in contact with the anterior one only by its point; in the other, the lower is much the
28 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jau.^
largest; in any event E. s. sirtalis not infrequently has but one second temporal.
Examination of the type of E. hrachystoma Cope leaves little ground for regarding it as anything more than a dwarfed and shortened E. s. sirtalis. The colors appear to have faded; on stretching the skin, indications of the dorsal spots appear, and the ventral spots of sirtalis are not absent, as stated in the description, but are plainly present, though small. The body is dispropor- tionately short, as is the mouth, which, instead of reaching back as far as the hinder end of the parietals, ends quite in advance of that point; with which shortening the reduced number of labials is doubtless correlated.
Hah. —E. s. sirtalis is found over the United States and southern Canada, east of the great plains, but is chiefly from east of the Mississippi river.
Eutaenia sirtalis parietalis Say.
Coluber parietalis Say, Long's Exp., I, 18G (1823); E. s. parietalis, E. s. conciiina, E. s. tetratmnia, E. s. dorsalis, E. s. obscura (part), E. elegans ordinoidcs and E. infernalis infernaUs (part) Cope, I. c, 654-664, and Rep. Nat. Mas., 1074-1081 ; T. ordinatus var. sirtalis (part) and T. o. var. infernalis (part) Bonl., I. c, I, 206, 207 ; T ham nophis parietalis Stej., No. Am. Fauna, No. 7, 214 ; Van Den., /. c, 201.
This subspecies has usually 19 rows and 7 labials; occasional examples have 21 rows and the labials are sometimes 8; the color is dark brown, bluish, black or even green; dorsal stripe distinct and variable in color, white, blue, yellow or red; the laterals are distinct owing to the presence of more or less of the dark body color on the outer rows and ends of the ventrals; the upper row of spots commonly fuses into a longitudinal black stripe, with which the lower row sometimes connects above; the skin on the sides is bright red, sometimes extending on to the scales so that the sides appear to have a denticulated pattern of black and red. This is often seen in living snakes only when the scales are stretched apart, but in alcoholic specimens the spaces between the lower row of spots seem to fade rapidly to white, and the denticulated pattern is then very distinct. The belly is yellow, green or bluish slate, and the spots near the ends, though small, are plainly to be seen at the base of each ventral; top of head olive or reddish yellow; an occasional labial with a narrow dark margin.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 29
E. s. tetvaUenia Cope was founded upon sj ecimeiis which had beeu many years in alcohol. One in the Academy's collection (No. 6085) from Puget Sound, formerly known as E. conclnna, seems to have had the red lateral spaces formed into a longitudinal stripe, extinguishing the upper portion of the lower row of spots. A small snake in the same jar, of the same date and locality, is an ordinary parietalis.
Considering the amount of variability in the joining of the spots in 2)anetaMs, and also the uncertain way in which the red pigment dissolves in alcohol, I am not disposed to attach much importance to slight differences in these very old specimens.
E. dorsalis B. and G. has the upper black dorsal stripe some- what narrower than is usual in those examples of parietalis in which the spots fuse into a stripe.
E. onlinoides B. and G. is said to have the sides chestnut in life, instead of bright red, but this difference is trivial and old alcoholic specimens are distinguishable only when they have 21 rows of scales and 8 labials; but as ordinoides and parietalis vary into each other in scutellation, I see no good reason for separating them, or for assigning the former to E. elegans, as is done by Cope.
Whatever may or may not have been injernalis Blainville, I have never seen a living specimen which could be referred with certainty to injernalis B. and G. or Cope, and I am persuaded that those so called belong in part to the present form and in part to E. elegans.
The dimensions of parietalis are about as in E. s. sirtalis.
Hab. — From central California norih to \Yashington and Oregon, and through the plains from Montana to Texas.
Eutaenia sirtalis pickeringi B. and G.
£J. Phckaringii B. and G., I. c, 27 ; E. s. jnckeringii and E. s. trilineata Cope, I. c, 065, and Rep Nat. Mus., 1082, 1083 ; T. o. var. infernalis (part) Boul., I.e., I, 207; Thamnophis parietalis pickeringi Van Den., I. c, 204.
Color very dark, blackish brown or black, with three narrow light stripes ; belly dark greenish or slate color; throal lighter. E. s. trilineata Cope is simply this form with the stripes inconsid- erably wider.
Hab. — Washington, Oregon and western Montana.
30 riiOCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Eutaenia sirtalis leptocephala B. and G.
E. leptocephala B. and G., I. c, 29 ; B. atrata and E. cooperi Kenn., Pac. K. R. Survey, 296 (1860); E. leptocephala and E. infer nalis vidua Cope, I. c, 658, 660, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1058, 1055 ; T. lep- tocephalus (part) and T. o. var. infernalis (part) Boul., I. c, 1,201, 208; Thamnophis leptocephalus Stej., I. c, 214; Van Den., I. c, 205.
Size smaller and tail relatively a little longer than in E. s. sirtalis; body moderately stout; head small and narrow; scales in 17-19 rows; preoculars 1 or 2 (3); postoculars 3 or 4: temporals 1-1 or 1-2; upper labials usually 7, but sometimes 6 or 8; olive, greenish or blackish brown, generally with three light stripes; these are variable and sometimes absent; the three rows of spots are hardly to be seen in dark specimens; belly yellowish, greenish or dark slate; head dark, with a parietal spot; labials yellower olive, sometimes narrowly bordered; ventrals 139-152; sub- caudals 52-77. Total length of one specimen 724 mm. (tail 1G4); of another 723 mm. (tail 138). Nine specimens from Washington and British Columbia, • collected by Samuel N. Rhoads, have 17 rows of scales; nearly all have 7 labials; one has them 7-8, and one has 8; the preoculars ai-e 1, 2 or 3, with 2, 3 or 4 postoculare. In all the color is dark brown or black, with the spots barely visible and the lateral stripe indistinct. Indi- viduals with 19 rows and 7 labials so closely resemble some forms of parietalis, and in fact some Eastern E. s. sirtalis, that I cannot regard it as more than a subspecies.
In E. infernalis vidua Cope has merely redescribed two of Kennicott's original specimens of E. atrata, although he does not mention the fact, "while referring to the resemblance. One of Kennicott's specimens (No. G359 Ac. coll. ; original number 970), marked vidua by Cope, better accords with the first description than with the later one. It has 19 rows at a point about three inches behind the head, where the number rarely reaches a maxi- mum, but on the rest of the body it has 17 as stated by Kenni- cott;'- upper labials 8; oculars 1-3; temporals 1-2; ventrals 155; subcaudals (35; length 622 mm. (tail 138), or .22 of the length, being considerably shorter than the proportion given by Cope. A second specimen (No. G584 Ac. coll.), also from San Francisco, has the dorsal stripe somewhat narrower ; spots obscure, but visible
1 * Curiously enough, Cope in his last paper, p. 1059, refers to this irregu- larity ia the number of rowa as being sometimes found in leptocephala.
1901.] NATURAL SCIEXCES OF nilLADELPIIIA. 31
against the dark body color, and has the belly rather lighter, with clear indications of a lateral stripe on the second and third rows ; ventrals 143; subcaudals 03; length 440 mm. (tail 108, or .245 of the length). In one the labials are dark lead color, in the other yellowish green, both wilh traces of narrow dark borders; the chin shields are not subeqiial in these specimens, but the hinder are noticeably the longest, as in most leptocephala, and the eye is small, as in that form. Mr. Van Denburgh refers vidua to elegans, but the totality of characters in the two which I have examined comples me to regard them as leptocephala, to which, in fact. Cope himself has already referred atrata, of which vidua in no event could be more than a synonym.
Hab. — British Columbia, Oregon, Washington and California north of San Francisco.
Eutaenia multimaculata Cope.
Atomnrchus multimaculatus Cope, Am. Nat., 1883. 1300 ; E. mul- timaculata Cope, I. c, 665, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1087 ; T. multimac- ulatus Boul., I. c, I, 214.
Posterior maxillary teeth shorter than in the preceding species; occasionally an azygous plate between the internasals; scales in 21 rows; upper labials 8, the fourth only touching the eye; oculars 2-3; temporals 1-3.
Grayish or brown above, with about 7 longitudinal series of brown or reddish spots with lighter centres, some of which often unite transversely; ventrals yellowish with dark edges. Length about 708 mm.
Hab. — Southern New Mexico; northern Mexico.
Eutaenia rufopunctata Cope.
CMlopoma rufopunctata Cope, Wheeler Survey, 544 (1875); E. rufopunctata Cope, I. c, 666; 1\ rufopunctata Boul., I. c, I, 214.
Teeth as in multimaculata ; head narrow; rostral large and pro- jecting; 21 rows of scales; upper labials 8, fourth and fifth touch- ing the eye; oculars 2 (l)-3; temporals 1-3; chin shields about equal.
Light brown, anteriorly with six rows of small reddish or orange spots; belly brownish gray, base of ventrals dark; no markings on head; labials light; ventrals 177, subcaudals 87. Only one specimen known, from southern Arizona. Length 257 mm.
32 rROCEEDiXGS OF Till: ACADEMY OF [Jaa.,
TROPIDONOTUS Kuhl.
Isis von Oken, 1826, 205 ; Boul. (part), I. c, I, 192 ; Natrix Cope, I. c, 667, and Kep. Nat. Mus., 957 ; Nerodia and Rerjiaa B. and G., I. c, 38-45.
Maxillary teeth smooth, gradually increasing posteriorly, the last three or four rather abruptly enlarged; head scales normal; 1 loreal; 2 [nasals; 2 interuasals; body rather stout; head distinct; scales keeled with double pits in 17-38 rows; anal divided.
Hab. — Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, America.
This genus much resembles Eukeiiia, but has a divided anal and scale pits. Being viviparous, like Eutcenia, these snakes breed freely in captivity, and the insignificance of slight differences in color and pattern may be instructively observed in almost any single brood of young.
Key to the North American Species.
a. — Body with stripes; scales in 19-21 rovvs: a\ — Preoculars 2 :
Brown; 3 black stripes on back; 4 on belly,
1. T. leberis. Olive brown, with 4 narrow stripes on back,
2. T. grahami. Brown, with 2 narrow stripes on back, 3. T. rigida. h\ — Preocular 1 :
Yellowish brown; 4 dark brown sti'ipes on back,
4. T. clarki. h. — Body with spots or cross bands:
a\ — Scales in 19-21 rows ; brown, with indistinct spots or
cvoss-bands, 5. 21 conipressicauda.
b\- Scales in 23-25 rows ; brown with alternating spots or
cross-bands, 6. T. sipedon.^^
\ c\ — Scales in 27-29 rows:
27 rows; large alternating spots, . 7. T. rhombifer. 29 rows; narrow coss-bands; eye with circle of scales,
8. T. cyclopeum.
d\ — Scales in 29-33 rows; size large; alternating spots;
parietals broken up, T. taxisjnlotus.
Tropidonotus leberis L.
Coluber leberis L., Syst. Nat., Ed. X, 216 (1753); Regina leberis B. and G., I. c, 45 ; JS^atrix leberis Cope, /. c, 668, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 993 ; T. septemvittatus Boul., I. c, 1, 239.
Size moderate ; oculars 2-2 ; temporals 1-2 ; upper labials 7 ;
1^ Tropidonotus bisectus Cope {Proc. U. S. Nat. 3Ius., 1887, p. 116) Is obviously abnormal in some, at least, of its characters. Its locality is uncer- tain and is probably referable to some form of T. sipedon.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PIIILADELPIIIA. 33
scales iu 19 nnvs; ventrals 14G-151; subeaiulals 64-86. Dark brown above Avith three narrow longitudinal l)lack stripes on the back; a yellow stripe on the two outer rows of scales ; belly yellow- ish with four black stripes. Length 580 mm, (tail 154).
Hab. — United States east of the Mississippi; not common in Florida. Tropidonotus graliami B. and G.
Regina Graliamii B. and G., I. c, 47 ; Natrix r/ra7iamii Cope, I. c, 668, and Kep. Nat. Mus., 991 ; T. grahami Boul., I. c, I, 240.
Size moderate; oculars 2-2 (3); temporals 1-2; upper labials 7; scales in 19 rows (occ. 21) ; ventrals 150-173; subcaudals 45-65, A light brown or clay-colored dorsal stripe, one and a halt scales wide, bordered by a narrow black line; below this, an olive-brown stripe three scales wide, bordered below by another black line on the fourth row; belly and three outer rows straw yellow. There is a narrow black line along the juncture between the ventrals and the outer scale row, and frequently another along the middle of the ventrals. In old individuals the colors darken and the appear- ance is sometimes presented of a brown snake with three narrow black stripes on each side. Length 880 mm. (tail 130).
Hab. — The Mississippi valley, from Michigan to Texas.
Tropidonotus rigidus Say.
Coluber rigidus Say, Jour. Acad. Phila., IV, 1825, 239 ; Regina rigida B. and G., I. c, 49; Nntrix rigida Cope, I. c, 668, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 989; T. rigidus Boul., L c, I, 240.
Size rather small ; oculars 2-2 ; temporals 1-2 ; upper labials 7 ; 19 rows of scales; ventrals 132-142; subcaudals 51-71.
Greenish brown, with two narrow black stripes on the back; labials and belly yellow, with two series of black spots on the ven- trals, which sometimes merge into a clouded stripe in front and behind. Length 536 mm. (tail 102).
Hab. — Pennsylvania, south and southwest to the Gulf; rare in
Florida.
Tropidonotus clarkii B. and G.
Regina Clarkii B. aud G., I. c, 48 ; Natrix clarkii Cope, I. c, 669, aud Kep. Nat. Mus., 987 ; T. clarkii Boul., I. c, I, 238.
Size moderate; oculars 1-3 (2); temporals 1-3 (2); upper
labials 8 (occ. 7); scales in 19 or 21 rows; ventrals 130-135;
subcaudals 57-68.
3
34 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Dark olive brown above, witli three light olive stripes, the dorsal one three scales wide, and the lateral on the third, fourth and part of the fifth rows; belly yellow in the middle and light olive on the sides and outer row of scales ; an irregular clouded stripe of red- dish brown on each side of the median yellow tract. Length 806 mm. (tail 168).
Hab. — Western Louisiana and Texas.
Tropidonotus compressicaudus Konnioott. Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860, :J35.
Size moderate; tail somewhat compressed; scales in 19 or 21 rows, very occasionally 23; oculars 1-3 (2); temporals 1-3 (2); upper labials 8. The pattern in this species is not disiinct, and is best seen in the young. The body color is greenish olive, with a dorsal row of black spots and a smaller series on each side. The spots are confused and irregular, the laterals being sometimes oppo- site the dorsals and sometimes alternating with them ; they tend to fuse together, forming cross-bands, which when they alternate, are zigzag. The anterior spots in many specimens merge lengthwise into more or less distinct stripes on the neck, which at times extend some distance on the body. The belly is yellowish or ashy, com- monly blotched with black, more heavily posteriorly; anteriorly each ventral is margined with black, leaving a transverse elliptical yellow mark in the centre, with sometimes a row of similarly colored small spots on each end. Top of the head greenish olive, often with an elongated black lilotch on the frontal and parietals ; labials yellow, more or less margined with black.
Two color forms may be distinguished : Three rows of spots; traces of stripes on neck,
1. T. c compressicaudus. Cross-bands on body ; black stripes on neck, . . 2. T. c. iistus.
Tropidonotus compressicaudus compressicaudus Kenn.
Nerodia compressicaudci Kenu., Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860, 3.35; Natrix compressicauda Cope, I. c, 669, and IJep. Nat. Mus., 979 ; T. com- pressicaudus (part) Boul., I. c, I, 233.
Grayish olive or ashy, with about forty dark spots on the back, distinct but irregular; the dorsal and lateral series mostly alter- nating, sometimes forming cross-bands in front. Indications of short stripes on the neck.
A small specimen collected by ]Mr. C. B. Moore, on Pine Island, Charlotte Harbor, has 133 ventrals; 74 subcaudals; length
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, 35
255 ram. (tail 68). The species reaches a length of about 600 ram.
Hab.— Florida.
Tropidonotus compressicaudus ustus Cope.
T. ristus Cope, Proc. Aoa'1. Phila., 1860, 310; JVatrix mta. N. eom-
pressicauda bivittafa, JSf. c. walkerii, N. c. compsolmmn Cope, I. c, G68, 6G9, 670, and Hep. Nat. Mus., 981-983 ; JV. c. kc/wita Cope, Am. Nat., 1895, 676; T. compressicaudus (part) BouL, I. c, I, 238.
lu this form the spots join to form raore or less distinct cross- bands, sorae thirty-five to forty on the body ; these are frequently obscure, especially in adults; the neck stripes occasionally extend sorae distance toward the tail. The body color is frequently pale yellow, more or less suffused Avith the reddish tinge common in many species of this genus. The whole pattern is indefinite and hardly any two specimens are alike ; upon these trivial differences the forms given in the syuouymy have been based.
Hab.— Florida.
Tropidonotus sipedon L-
Coluber sipedon L., Syst. Nat., Ed. X, 219 (1758).
Size moderate, to large and stout; scales in 23 or 25 rows; upper labials 8 (occ. 9); oculars 1-3 (2); temporals 1-3 ; veulrals 125- 155; subcaudals 59-82.
In this species the color is brown, yellowish or red above, with darker transverse bauds or spots on the back, or both in combina- tion; the beUy is yellowish, either spotted or unmarked. The pattern is distinct in the young, but the body color becomes dark in old specimens, until the markings are often wholly obliterated. Three well-marked color forms may be distinguished, of which 1. s. sipedon is the common "water snake" of the Eastern Middle States; T. s. fasciatus of the Southern and Gulf States, and 2. s. tramversus seems to be restricted to the western part of the lower Mississippi valley.
a. — Ventrals spotted:
Cross-bands on whole of back, . . . 1. T. s. fasciatus.
Cross-bands in front ; spots posteriorly, . 2. T. s. sipedon. b. — Ventrals not spotted; whole body with alternating spots,
3. T. s. transversiis.
36 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jau.,
Tropidonotus sipedon fasciatus I-
Coluber fasrAatus L., Syst. Nat., Ed. XII, 378 (1766); Nerodia fasci- ata and N. erythrogaster B. and G., I. c, 39, 40; Natrix fnsciata fascinta, N. f. x>leuraUs and N.f. crythrof/aster Co-pe, I. c, 673, and Rep. Nat. Mas., 963, 973, 975; N.'f. pic'tieventris Cope, Am. Nat., 1895, 077, and Rep. Xat. Mus., 969 ; T. fasciatus (part) Boul., I. c, I, 242.
Size large; body stout; scales in 28 rows (raiely 25); upper labials 8; oculars 1-3 (2); temi^rals 1-3; veutrals 125-155; subcaudals 60-82.
YelloAvisli, yellowish red, or In'own above, witli from twenty to thirty darker trausverse bands on the back, narrowing on the sides, and sometimes red spots on the sides ; sometimes the bands are more or less broken posteriorly; belly Avhitish yellow or salmon color, blotched with yellow, red or black; very often each ventral is mar- gined all around with the darker shade; top of the head uniformly dark, generally olive; an oblique dark streak behind the orbit; labials margined with dark brown. Old specimens become very dark. A large one from Georgia, now living in the Zoological Gardens, is sooty black with traces of red markings on the flanks; in this specimen the posterior third of the belly is almost wholly black. Anolher from Florida has the body color brick red on the back, becoming almost vermilion on the sides, the cross-bands being reddish with a mixture of olive; the ventrals are yellow or orange, mostly bordered all around with darker orange. This merely fortuitous phase is jyictieventr is Cope."
A young specimen, now in the Academy's collection, bred in the Zoological Gardens from a typical fasciatus, shows at the age of one day, transverse bands, posteriorly much broken up into spots. With the darkening and consequent obscurity of color, especially along the dorsal area, Avhich results from age, this speci- men would develop the pattern attributed to jileural is Cope.
I have no knowledge of small individuals of erythrogaster Shaw, and there is not the least "doubt in my mind that this form is again the result of darkening with age of the red specimens of fasciatus described above; although it may be that some northern examples should be referred to T. s. sipedon.
The largest of this subspecies which I have seen, measured 1270 mm. (tail 300).
Hab. — Virginia to Florida and west to Texas.
'* This identification is given on the anthority of Prof. Cope, who declared that this specimen belonged to his new subspecies.
1901.] NATURAL SCIliNX^ES OF PHILADELPHIA. 37
Tropidonotus sipedon sipedon L.
Coluber sipedon L., Syst. Nat., Ed. X, 219 (1758); JSferodia sipedon B. and G., I. c, 38; JVatrix fasciata sipedon Cope, I. c, 671, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 969 ; T. fasciatus (part) BouL, I. c, I, 242.
Size moderate; almost invariably 23 rows and 8 upper labials; old specimens sometimes much resemble some phases of T. s. fasci- atus, but as a rule the body is less stout. When clear enough to be distinguished, the pattern consists of a series of large brown dorsal spots, separated by very narrow light interspaces; the dorsal alternates with a series of lateral spots separated by light intervals as long as or longer than themselves. Anteriorly, the lateral spots are often obscure or wanting. In old dark individuals, the general aspect is ihat of a dark-brown snake crossed on the middle of the back by narrow light lines, about half a scale wide, mar- gined with black. The ventrals ai'e spotted, but less heavily than in fasciatus. Top of the head brown; there is usually no post-ocular stripe, but when the general color is light, it is some- times indicated. Ventrals 130-150; subcaudals 59-80, Length 890 mm. (tail 205).
Hab. — New England to the Carolinas; west to Wisconsin and Kansas.
Tropidonotus sipedon transversus Hullowell.
T. transversus Hallow., Proc. Arad. Phila., 1852, 177 ; Nerodia Wood- housii and JV. iransrersa B. and G., I. c, 42, 148 ; iV. /. transversa Cope, I. c, 672, and Rep. Nat. Mus , 973 ; T. fasciatus (part) Boul., I. c., I, 242.
Size rather less than T. s. sipedon; scales in 23-25 rows; upper labials 8 or 9; temporals 1-3 ; ventrals 140-150; subcaudals 64— 80. Body color olive or brown; a dorsal series of 30-35 dark brown spots about four scales long and seven or eight wide, black bor- dered in front and behind; the interspaces aoout one scale wide; an alternating series of upright rectangular dark brown blotches on the sides, the intervals being w'ider than the blotches; the dorsal and lateral series are not in contact; belly yellow, with the base of each ventral dusky. Top of head dark olive, with sometimes a yellowish elongated spot on the commissure of the parietals and two small yellow dots on the anterior border of the frontal. Length about 860 mm. (tail 186).
Hab.- -Western Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas.
38 PKOCEEDIXGS OF TOE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Tropidonotu8 rhombifer Hallowell.
Pioc. Acad. Phila., 1852, 177 ; Nerodia Ilolhrookii and i\". rJiomhifer B. and G., I. c, 4.'5 and 147; Natrix rhomhlfera Cope, I. c, 673, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 9G3 ; T. fusciatus (part), Boul. I.e., I, 242.
Size large; scales in 25 or 27 rows (Cope states that in thirteen individuals he found only one with 25 rows; whereas, in eight, I find five with 25, one with 26 and two with 27); oculars 1-2 (occasionally 3 or 4 post-oculars) ; tempoi-als 1-2 (3); ujiper labials 8; ventrals 141-150; subcaudals 57-78.
Reddish brown, occasionally pale yellowish brown, darker on the back; a dorsal series of 35-40 black blotches, six or seven scales wide and two or three long, separated by rather longer inter- spaces; on each side an alternating series of vertical rectangular blotches, each of which is connected by a black oblique bar from its upper corners to the contiguous lower corners of the dorsal spots. Irregular cross-bauds on the tail. Belly yellow or gray, with an orange tinge posteriorly; a roundish black spot at the end of each ventral. Top of head olive brown; upper labials lighter olive; lower labials and throat yellow; all the labials narrowly margined Avith brown. This snake resembles T. tazispilotus, but has fewer scales and the spots are connected at the angles. Length 1,115 mm. (tail 220) ; probably reaches the size of T. s. fasciatus.
Hab. — Southern Illinois and Indiana to Texas; extends south to
Vera Cruz.
Tropidonotus cyclopium Dum. and Bib.
Erp. Gen., VII, 576 (1854); Cope, I. c, 673, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 961 ; Boul., I. c, I, 244.
Size large; scales in 29 rows (occ. 31); oculars 1-2 (3); tem- porals 1-2 (3); upper labials 8 (7); almost always 2, 3 or 4 sub- oculars, forming with the })re- and post-oculars a ring around the eye; ventrals 135-150; subcaudals 64-81.
Greenish or dark olive; irregular, broken darker bands, about the width of one scale, across the back to about the seventh row, at intervals of about two scales; oi)i)osite the interspaces, on each side, a vertically elongated l)lack blotch extending from the third to the sixth row ; l)e)ly yellowish or greenish white, the exterior base of each ventral clouded with dusky, which increases posteri- orly; top of head dark brown; lower half of upper labials lighter; all labials witli dark mr.rgins. The whole pattern is obscure, and
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF rillLADELPIIIA, 39
infold examples is not easy to make out. Length 1,200 mm. (tail 260).
Hab. — Florida to New Orleans, and sparingly up the Missis- sippi to southern Illinois. Tropidonotus taxispilotus Ilolbrook. ,
No. Am. Herp., IV, 35, PI. 8 (1813); NerocUa tnxispilotua B. and G., I. c, 43 ; Natrix taxispilota Cope, I. c, 674, anti Kep. Nat. Mus., 959; T. taxispilotus Bonl., I. c, I, 215.
Largest of the American water snakes ; body very stout ; scales in 29-33 rows, strongly keeled ; oculars 1-2 (3); temporals 2-4 (5); the parietal shields are small, their hinder portion being usually broken up into small plates ; upper labials 8, usually only the fourth entering the eye: ventrals 130-148; subcaudals 70-90.
Reddish brown, with a dorsal and lateral series of rectangular blackish brown blotches, which alternate but do not touch; belly yellowish white with irregular blotches of dark brown. This species resembles both T. s. transversus and T. rhombifer, but may always be known from the former b}'' the increased number of scale rows, and from the latter by the absence of the oblique bars con- necting the dorsal and lateral spots. An occasional specimen shows the orbital ring of scales fouud in T. cyclopiani. Length 1,300 mm. (tail 290).
Hab. — From the Potomac river to Florida and New Orleans.
SEMINATRIX Cope.
Am. Nat., 1895, 678, and Rep. Nat. ]\Ias., 993; Contia (part) Cope, I. c, 599; Tropidonotus (part) Boul., I. c, I, 192.
jNIaxillary teeth smooth, slightly increasing posteriorly, tin last two abruptly enlarged ; body rather stout ; head small and slightly distinct; head scales normal; one loreal; nasal half divided; no scale pits; scales smooth on body, sometimes faintly keeled on the tail.
Hab. —Florida.
Seminatrix pygsea Cope.
Contia pygcea Cope, Proc. Acad. Pbila., 1871, 222, and I. c, 600; S. pygcE'/s Cope, Am. Nat., 1895, 678, and Rep. Nat. Mas., 993 ; Tropi- donotus pygceus Boul., I. c, I, 228.
Size small, tail short; 20-24 maxillary ]teeth, smooth and slightly increasing posteriorly, the last two abruptly enlarged; mandibular teeth about 20, subequal; head scales normal; internasals small;
40 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
oculars 1-2; temporals 1-2, the anterior elongated; upper labials variable (in six which I have examined three have 7, one has 7-8, one has 8 and one has 9); 17 rows of scales, smooth on the body, often faintly keeled on the tail; ventrals 118-130; subcau- dals 32-54. Lustrous brownish black above, with a faint pale longitudinal line on each scale, most strongly marked on the sides; belly yellow or salmon color, each ventral with a small black bar on the exterior and outer margin. Length 484 ram. (tail 109) ; of another specimen 330 mm. (tail 50).
Hab. — Florida.
This species was included by Mr. Boulenger in his comprehensive genus Tropidonotus, but the smooth body scales and absence of scale pits, together with the wide difference in form and color pat- tern, appear to me to Avarrant generic separation. I have observed that in captivity these little snakes are fond of hiding under stones or bark in moist soil, and this habit is confirmed by ^Ir. Lcennberg.^' On the whole, I suspect that pygcea is a degenerating Tropidonotus in process of acquiring subterranean habits. It is possible that the light line on the dorsal scales may indicate the former presence of keels, but lately lost.
HELICOPS Wagler.
Syst. Amph., 170 (1830); Liodytes Cope, /. c, 6G6; Uelicops Boul., I. c, I, 272.
Maxillary teeth smooth, posterior slightly longest, no interspace; one lorcal ; one iuternasal; two nasals; body rather stout; scales more or less keeled, usually without pits; anal divided.
Hab. — Florida, tropical America and Africa, southern Asia.
Helicops alleni Garman.
Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., 1874, 92; Liodytes allenii Cope, I. c. , 667, and Kep. Nat. Mus., 1013 ; Helicops alleni Boul., I. c, I, 275.
Maxillary teeth 16-18, syncranterian; mandibular teeth 18-20, subequal; body short and stout; head slightly distinct; tail short; head scales normal, except that the intcrnasal is single; oculars 1-3, the anterior occasionally extending upwaxxl to meet the fron- tal; tempoi'als 1-2. In one specimen in my own collection the parietals extend to the labials, behind the iiost-oculars ; upper labials 7 or 8; scales in 19 rows, smooth excepting on the tail, where a few rows are more or less distinctly keeled ; as a rule scale
^^ Proc. V. 8. Nat. Mus., 1894, p. 323.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF rillLADELPPIIA. 41
pits are absent, but in one specimen which I have examined they are irregularly present; ventrals 121-129; subcaudals 58-63.
A dark brown dorsal area six to eight scales wide, on each side of this a lighter olive stripe two rows wide, then a dark lateral stripe from the third to the fifth row ; belly and lal)ials yellow. Length 484 mm. (tail 110).
Hab. — Florida.
STORERIA n. and G.
Cat. No. Am. Serp., 135 (1853); Cope, I. c, 074, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1000 ; Ischiiogiiathus^^ (part) Boul., I. c, I, 285.
Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; no loreal ; two nasals; two inter- nasals; scales keeled without pits, in 15-17 rows; anal divided; size small ; head distinct.
Hab. — North and Central America.
17 rows; 1 preocular; ventrals whitish, . . . . 1. S. dekayi. 15 rows; 2 preoculars; ventrals reddish, . 2. S. occipitomaculata.
Storeria dekayi Hoi brook.
Tropidonotus dekayi Holb., No. Am. Herp., Ill, 53, PL XIV (1842) ; 8. dekayi B. and G., I. c, 135 ; Cope, I. c, 675, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 1000 ; Ischnocjnaihus dekayi Boul., I. c, I, 286.
Head scales normal ; no loreal ; two nasals, nostril generally between them; oculars 1-2; temporals 1-1 (2); upper labials 7; scales in 17 rows, notched at the tip; ventrals 120-140; subcaudals 40-63. Length 350 mm. (tail 70).
Grayish to reddish brown or olive above, with a lighter dorsal stripe about three scales wide, bordered by a row of black dots or a black line, sometimes traces of a second and third alternating series on the sides; belly w^iitish, with black dots on the ends of the ventrals.
Hab. — North America and Mexico, east of the Rocky Moun- tains.
^^ There is possibly a question as to actual piiority of publication between Storeria B. and G. and Jschnognatlius Dum. and Bib., both bearing the date 1853 ; the paper of Dumenl and Bibron having been read before the Academie des Sciences, November 2, 1852, and the Cat. of No, Am. Ser- petits being accepted for publication in the same month. Both genera Avere established upon S. dekayi, but as the definition given by Baird and Giraid is much more complete, usage warrants the retention of their name. Boul- enger has much extended fschndf/nathus and includes in it both Clonophis^ kirtlandi and Tropidoclonium lineutum.
42 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jau.,
Storeria occipitomaculata Slorer.
IVopidonotus occipilomiculatns Sfcorer, Eep. Rept. Mas?., 230 (1839); *S'. occipitomaculatus B. and G., /. c, 137 ; Cope, I. c, 6~o, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1003 ; /. occijniomaculatus Boul., I. c, I, 287.
Head sciitellatiou like S. deJcayi, but there are two preoculars and five or six upper labial.s; the nostril is usually in the pre-nasal; 15 rows of scales. The size and proportions are similar. Color of the back much the same, but the vertebral stripe is less distinct and occasionally the outer row is lighter; belly salmon color in life with the ends of the ventrals clouded with darker; a light blotch on the vertex with a smaller one on each side of it, and a light S2)ot on the posterior labials.
Hab. — North America, east of the Rocky jNIouutains.
CLONOPHIS Cope.
Prop. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1888, .391 ; I. c, 674 ; Tropidonotus (part) Cope, Kep. Nat. 3Ius., 995 ; Ischnognathus (part) Boul., I. c, I, 285.
Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; one loreal; one nasal; two iuternasals; size small, head not distinct; scales keeled; anal divided; head not distinct.
Hall. — North America.
Clonophis kirtlandi Keun.
Recjiiia kirtlandii Kenn.,Pi-oc. Acad. Phila., 1856, 9'5 ; Clonoplm Icirt- landii Cope., I. c, 674; Tropidonotus kirtlandii Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 995 ; IschnogriUthus kirtlandi Boul., I. c, I, 286.
Head plates normal; 1 nasal, usually half divided; oculars 1-2; temporals 1-1 (2); upper labials 6; scales in 19 rows, all keeled; ventrals 123-133; subcaudals 50-59. Length 496 mm. (tail 115).
Brown above with a dorsal series of large dark spots and a small alternating series on the sides; belly yellowish or reddish, with a black spot at the end of each ventral ; labials yellowish.
Hab. — Ohio to Michigan.
TROPIDOCLONIUM Cope.
Proc. Acad. Pliila., 1860, 76; /. c, 666, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1011; Ischnofjnathus (part) Boul., I. c, I, 285.
INIaxillary teeth smooth, equal; one loreal; one nasal; two internasals; size rather small; head not distinct; scales keeled; anal entire. Resembles Clonophis, but has the anal single.
Hab. — North America.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILA DELPiriA. 43
Tropidoclonium lineatum Ilallowell.
Microps Uncatus Hall., Proc. Acad. Phila., 1850,241 ; T. lineatum Cope, I. c, 6Q6, and Kep. Nat. Mus., 1011; Ischnognathus lineatus Boul., I. c, I, 289.
Head plates normal; oculars 1-2; temporals 1-2 (1); upper labials 5 or G ; scales in 19 rows, tlie two outer only faintly keeled; ventrals 138-148 ; suhcaudals 34-37. Length 350 ram. (tail 48).
Grayish brown w^'th a light vertebral stripe, bordered by a ro^v of black dots; a light lateral stripe on the second and third rows; belly light with two longitudinal series of black spots, more distinct posteriorly.
Hab. — Ohio to northei'u Texas.
AMPHIARDIS Cope.
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1888, 391 ; I. c, 67o, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1008 ; Boul., I. c, I, 290.
Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; one loreal; two nasals; two internasals; no preocular, the loreal extending to the eye; scales keeled; anal divided; size small; body rather stout; head not distinct; tail short.
Hab. — Texas.
Amphiardis inornatus Garman.
Virginia iiiornntu Garm., No. Am. Kept., 97 (1883) ; A. inornatus Cope, I. c, 675, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 1009 ; Boul., I. c, 1, 290.
Head scales normal ; two internasals; two nasals; no preocular; loreal long, and ^vitli the prefrontals, entering the orbit; one post- ocular; upper labials 5; temporals 1-1; scales in 17 rows, lus- trous, the outer only faintly keeled; ventrals 125-129; subcaudals 36. Length 260 mm. (tail 45).
Brownish olive above; belly white, base of ventrals dusky.
Hab. — Two specimens known, only from central Texas
HALDEA B. and G.
I. c, 122 ; Cope, I. c, G75, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1009 ; Boul., I. c, 1, 290.
Maxillary teeth smooth, subequal; one loreal; two nasals; one internasal; no preocular; scales keeled without pits; anal divided; size small, body slender, head distinct, tail short.
Hab. — North America.
44 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Haldea striatula L.
Coluber Htriatidm L., Syst Nat., Ed. XII, 37.5 (1766); IlnUea stri- atula B. and G., I. c, 122 ; Cope, I. c, 676, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1009 ; Boul., I. c, I, 291.
Only one internasal; head plates otherwise normal; loreal long and reaching the eye; no preocular; 1 post-ocular; temporals 1-1; upper labials 5; .scales in 17 rows; ventrals 120-135; subcaudals 36-50. Length 250 mm. (tail 45).
Uniform reddish or grayish brown above; salmon color under- neath; sometimes an indistinct light band across the parietals.
Hab. — Virginia to Minnesota and south to Texas.
SPILOTES Wagler. Syst. Amph.. 179 (1830); Georr/ia B. and G., I. c, 92 ; Spilotes Cope, I. c, 636 ; Spilotes and Coluber (part) Boul., I. c. II, 2:3,24 ; Comp- sosoma Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 857.
Maxillary teeth smooth, nearly equal; head scales normal; loreal sometimes absent; one preocular; scales smooth or keeled with two pits, sometimes in an even number of rows;" anal entire; size large ; head moderately distinct; body sometimes compressed on the back.
Hab. — North and South America.
Spilotes corals Boie.
Coluber corais Boie, Isis, 1827, 537.
This large species ranges from the southern United States to
Brazil ; typical corals is South American, but there are several
subspecies, one of which only, enters the United States.
Spilotes corais couperi Holbrook.
Coluber couperii Holb., No. Ara. Herp., Ill, 75, PI. 16 (1842); Georgia Couperii and G. obsoleta B. and G., I. c, 92, 158; <S'. c. couperii Cope, I. c, 037; Coluber corais (part) Bonl., (. c, II, 31 ; Comp- sosoma corais couperii Cope, Rep. Nat. Mns., 858.
Maxillary teeth 17-18, slightly enlarged posteriorly; mandibu- lar teeth about 16, a little longer in front; internasals small; t^^o nasals; loreal quadrangular; oculars 1-2; temporals 2-2 ; upper labials 8 (7), either the fifth or sixth small and triangular; scales smooth in 17 rows; ventrals 184-198; subcaudals 60-73.
Lustrous black above; belly slaty black; on the anterior ven-
'' Tlie restriction of this genus to .snakes having the dorsal rows in even number does not appear to me justifiable. The type of Spilotes Wagler is .S'. pullatus, which species alone, Boalensrer admits in the genus. It, how- ever, has the scales frequently in an odd number ; two specimens from Trinidad, formerly in the Zoiilogical Garden, had 15 and 17 rows respectively iProc. Acad. Phila., 1893, 4^2).
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF rHILADKLPIIIA. 45
trals dark red ofteu appears, which usually shows plainly on the chin ; upper labials light, Avith red or blackish margins. This species is one of the largest of North American snakes; in Florida it reaches about 1900 mm. (tail 350), and along the lower Rio Grande, in Texas, it exccds those dimensions.
Hab. — Georgia and Florida to eastern Texas; northern IMexico.
COLUBER L.
Syst. Nat., Ed. X, 216 (1758); Scotoiihis B. and G., I. c, 7:i ; Elaphis (part) D. and B., I. c, VII, 241 ; Coluber Cope, /. c, 630, and liep. Nat. Mus., 825 ; Coluber (part) Boa!., I. c, II, 24.
Maxillary teeth smooth, equal ; one loreal ; two nasals; two inter- nasals; one preocular; two prefrontals; scales in 19-35 rows; generally more or less keeled, with two pits; anal divided; size moderately large; head distinct.
Hab. — Northern hemisphere.
Reliable specific characters, drawn from the scutellation, are want- ing in the American species of Coluber. The proportions of the frontal and parietal plates, upon which some stress has been laid, are so variable with age and in individuals, that little importance can be attached to them singly; except that in vulpinus, and still more in llndhehneri, the anterior border of the frontal is wide and the lateral angles are obtuse, so that the plate is often subtrian- gular. Cope divides the species into sections, according to the number of anterior temporals, but I find them by no means con- stant enough to serve that purpose. The number of veutrals and subcaudals is not diagnostic, the limits of variability overlapping in most species; although quaclrivittatus, a long-tailed species, has the largest number of subcaudals, and vidjnnus, which is short and thick, has the least. There are fairly constant difl^erences in pattern and color, and upon these, with a totality of other charac- ters, they may be divided with some certainty.
Key to the American Species.
a. — Scales smooth, or fi to 13 rows weakly keeled:
Light gray with brown spots, 1. C. emoryi.
Red with brick-red spots, 2. (7. guttatus.
Yellow with four brown stripes, . . o. C qxiadrivittaiiis. h. — Scales with 9 to 21 rows more strongly keeled: 9-11 rows keeled; yellow with distinct spots,
4. C. vulpinus.
9-21 rows keeled; black above, or yellow with spots; lateral
spots elongated, 5. C. obsoletns.
4G PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Coluber guttatus L.
Sysfc. Nat., Ed. XII, 386 (1766); Scotophis fjuttatm B. and G., I. c, 78; C. guttatus and C. fj. sellatus Cope, I. c, 633, and Rep. Nat. Mns., 833, 836 ; C, guttatus (part) BouL, I. c, II, 39.
Froutal a trifle longer than ])road, rather broad behind, usually a little shorter than the snout; oculars 1-2; temporals 2-3 (4); upper labials 8, fourth and fifth entering the orbit; 11 or 12 lower labials, five touching anterior chin shields ; scales usually in 27 rovFs (rarely 29), very slightly keeled on about five rows; ventrals 215-240; subcaudals 61-79. Length 1200 mm. (tail 190).
Light red, paler on the sides; dorsal blotches darker red with black borders and a narrow margin of dark red outside of the black ; the dorsal spots reach to about the seventh row of scales ; below these there is a second alternating series of smaller spots, which sometimes have a tendency to run together longitudinally, and a third series on the ends of the ventrals and the two outer rows. lu some specimens the dorsal spots are wider, and the laterals are mostly absent or form an indistinct longitudinal stripe; this is C. (j. sellatus Cope, the type specimens of which had 29 rows of scales, but a very similar specimen in my own collec- tion from Lake Kerr, Florida, has but 27. The color beneath is yellowish white, with quadrangular blotches of black on the outer ends of the ventrals. The head is usually, but not always, banded above.
Hab. — Virginia to Florida and west to the Mississippi river.
Coluber quadrivittatus Holbrook.
No. Am. Herp., 111,89, Plate XX (1842); Scotophis quadrivittatus B. and G., I. c, 80 ; G. quadrivittatus and C. rosaceiis Cope, I. c, 633, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 838, 837; C. obsoletus (part) BouL, I. c, II, 51.
Frontal narrow behind, a little longer than broad in front; tem- porals 2-2 (3); upper labials 8, occasionally 9, and in one example 7 on one side, the fourth and fifth entering the eye; lower labials 11 to 13, four or five touching the anterior chin shields; 27 rows of scales, of which from five to thirteen are weakly keeled; ven- trals 232-250; subcaudals 86-105 (one examined by me has the abnormally small number of 66).
Body color yellow or buft, sometimes faintly greenish, with four longitudinal stripes of dark brown ; the laterals on the fourth and part of the third and fifth, and the upper ones on the eleventh and
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PIIILADELPIIIA. 47
part of the tenth and twelfth rows. In some specimens the body color is dark chestnut. Underneath and on top of head yellow, unmarked. The young in this species are spotted, the spots at subsequent stages fusing into stripes. One specimen 1720 mm. long, from Florida, now living in the Zoological Gardens, shows ihese spots quite plainly outlined on the back, forty-one in number from head to vent, with the stripes running across them. There are also faint remains of lateral spots. This mixture of immature and adult characters probably accounts for G. rosaceus Cope. Reaches a length of 1800 mm. (tad 300). Hab. — North Carolina to Florida.
Coluber obsoletus Say.
Long's Exp. to Rocky Mts., I, MO (1823).
Frontal about equals the length of snout, rather broad in front; anteiior temporals usually 2, but occasionally 1 or 3; posterior temporals 3 (4); usually 8 upper labials, fourth and fifth in eye; 11 to 13 lower labials; scales in from 25 to 29 rows, from 9 to 21 of which are keeled; ventrals 224-258; subcaudals 75-86.
The color ranges from black above to gray or yellowish with dark spots; the lateral spots are more or less elongated ; head not dis- tinctly banded in adults. Size medium to large and stout.
Hab. — New England to the Gulf and west to the central plains.
Three good color forms may be distinguished:
Black above, sometimes with indistinct spots, . 1. C o. obsoletus. Yellowish wnth lead-colored spots; red on sides,
2. Co. lindheimeri.
Gray or pale brown with brown spots, . . . 3. C. o. conjinis.
Coluber obsoletus obsoletus Say.
I. c, 140 ; Scotophis alleglieniensis B. and G., I. c, 73 ; O. obsoletus obsoletus (part) Cope, I. c, 635, and Rep. Nat. Miis., 844; O. obso- letus (part) Boul., I. c, II, 50.
Frontal about equals or slightly exceeds the length of snout, rather broad behind; temporals 2-3; 8 upper labials, fourth and fifth in eye (one large specimen in the Academy's collection has 7, the third and fourth in eye ; in this snake the prefrontals are only partially divided); lower labials 11, four or five touching the anterior chin shields; 27 or 25 rows of scales, nine to seventeen keeled (in adults usually fifteen or seventeen); ventrals 224-246; subcaudals 75-90.
48 PEOCEEDIXGS OF THE ACA-DEMY OF [Jan.,
Color black above, brownish in the young; the dorsal spots are indistinctly outlined, but not enough, as a rule, to make them out except in young or newly-shed individuals. In some specimens the skin on the sides is more or less red. The belly is usually slaty black behind, yellow anteriorly, more or less maculated with black blotches; throat and chin white; labials yellow, margined with black. A living specimen from Pennsylvania, 1080 mm. long, shows thirty indistinct dorsal spots, and has considerable red skin on the flanks, which shows between but does not invade the scales. Reaches a length of about 1850 mm. (tail 320).
Hab. — Massachusetts to Illinois and southwest to Texas; rare in Florida.
Coluber obsoletus lindheimeri B. and G.
Scofophis LincUieimerii B. and G., I. c, 74 ; C. o. obsoletus (part) Cope, I. c, 635, and Kep. Nat. Mus., 844 ; C. obsoletus (part) Boul., I. c, II, 50.
Frontal about equal, or a trifle shorter than the snout; the an- terior border about equals its length and the lateral angles are obtuse, so that the shape is subtriangular; temporals 2(3)-3 (4); 8 upper labials (in one case 9), fourth and fifth in eye; 12 to 14 lower labials, from four to six touching the anterior chin shields; scales in 27 or 29 rows (five have 27, three have 29, one has 31), from 11 to 21 keeled, never very strongly ; ventrals 227-231; subcaudals 70-81.
Yellowish above with a dorsal series of dark lead-colored spots, five or six scales long and thirteen to fifteen wide, the interspaces of the body color are about two scales long and many of the scales have lead -colored centres; another series of elongated blotches on the' third to the seventh row; ventrals with dark spots on the ends and outer scale rows, at intervals of several scoles, otherwise yellowish white, often clouded posteriorly. The bases and margins of many scales in the light interspaces are rusty red in every living specimen that I have seen; this fades rapidly in alcohol. Top of head is uniform lead color without bands. The eye is rather large. Length 1525 mm. (tail 230).
Hab.— Texas.
The distinctness of the color pattern at all ages, the red on the scales of the flanks, the slight but, as it appears to me, very gen- eral difference in the shape of the frontal, with an ap))arently
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 49
circumscribed geographical range, are quite enough, in my opinion, to compel recognition of this subspecies.
Coluber obsoletus confinis B. and G.
Scotophis confinis nnd S. Imtus B. and G., I. c, 76, 77 ; ElapJiis spil- oides Dum. and Bib., I. c, VII, 209; Coluber confinis, G. sjnloides and C. 0. Icmniscatas Cope, I. c, 633, 634, 63.5, and Hep. Nat. Mus., 829, 841, 849 ; G. Imtus (part) Boul., I. c, II, 49 ; C. Imtus Cope, Rep. Nat. Mas., 850.
Frontal rather longer than wide, a little longer than the snout ; temporals 2 (l}-3; upper labials 8, fourth and fifth in eye; five lower labials touching the anterior chin shields; scales in 27-25 rows, eleven or thirteen .slightly keeled; ventrals 231-258; sub- caudals 75-96.
Ashy or yellowish gray above, with dark brown dorsal spots narrowly margined with black, five or six scales long and thirteen to fifteen wide, longitudinally quadrate in shape ; interspaces about two scales long; on the second to fifth rows the lateral spots are elongated, and exhibit sometimes a disposition to form an indistinct stripe; belly yellow, clouded posteriorly and with dark spots on the ends of the ventrals and the outer scale rows ; a dark post- ocular stripe, some indistinct mottling on borders of the labials, but no distinct head bands in adults.
Hab. — From Virginia to Florida, west to Missouri and Texas.
I am not able to satisfy myself that spiloklea Dum, and Bib. and Icetus B. and G. are distinct from the present form ; Cope, indeed, places them in three different sections of Coluber, assigning a different number of anterior temporals to each — one to confinis, two to spiloides and three to Icetus. But the single specimen in his own collection, considered by him to be confinis, has two, which is the normal number; while the figures of Icetus given by Baird in Marcy's Report of the Red River Exp., PL VI, and Pcic. R. R. Survey, PL XXX, fig. 53, both represent that species as also having two. (The three temporals in Cope's fig. 196 (p. 851) have every appearance of abnoi'mality.) The difference in pattern slated in the description of Icetus is probably accounted for by the youth of the type, which is but 460 mm. long, while the occur- rence of 25 rows, as in spiloides, is quite nr^rmal, and 29, as in Icetus, would not be startling in C. o. confinis.
50 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Coluber emoryi B. and G.
Scotophis Emoryi B. and G., I. c, 157 ; O. emoryi Cope, I. c, 636, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 852 ; C. giittatus (part) Boul., I. c, II, 39.
Frontal rather long, but little shorter than the snout; temporals 2 (3)-3 (4); upper labials 8, fourth and fifth in eye; lower labials 11, five touching the anterior chin shields; scales in 27 rows (occ. 29), all smooth or sometimes a few faintly keeled; ventrals 210- 235 ; subcaudals 72-78.
';" Ground color rather pale gray, with a dorsal row of olivaceous brown blotches with black borders, three or four scales long and ten or twelve wide, separated by interspaces 1^ to 2 scales long; a second series of smaller alternating spots from the third to the seventh rows, subcircular in shape; a third indistinct series oq the second and third rows, and a fourth indicated on the outer roAV and the ends of the ventrals; belly yellowish or Avhite with irregular ashy blotches posteriorly ; top of head much banded, and a dark oblique post-ocular stripe. The number of dorsal spots varies greatly, those now living in the collection of the Zoological Society ranging from thirty-one to fifty in number on the body, and from seventeen to twenty-one on the tail. Length 1330 mm. (tail 190).
Hab. — Kansas to Texas; south to Chihuahua.
Coluber vulpinus B. and G.
Scotophis vulpinus B. and G., I. c, 75 ; C. vulpinus Cope, I. c, 633, and Kep. Nat. Mus., 831 ; Boul., I. c, II, 49.
Frontal shorter than snout, with anterior border about equal to its length, and with obtuse lateral angles ; temporals 2-3 ; upjJer labials 8, fourth and fifth in eye; lower labials 11, five touching anterior chin shields; 25-27 rows of scales, nine to eleven feebly keeled; ventrals 196-208; subcaudals 51-69; form stout.
Ground color light brown; dorsal spots dark brown and quadrate in shape, about four scales long and from eleven to thirteen wide ; interspaces about two scales long. There are from 29-42 dorsal spots on the body, and 8-14 on the tail; there is a subcircular alternating series on the third to the seventh rows, and another of square blotches on the outer row and the ends of tne ventrals; rest of the belly yellow, with dark blotches in the middle, usually involving two ventrals; anteriorly the belly is unmarked; no head bands in the aduL, except the oblique post-ocular stripe; edges of labials slightly margined; eye small.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF FHILADELnilA. 51
Length about 1450 mm. (tail 230). C vulpimis is relatively stouter, and has a shorter tail than the other American species of Coliibei'.
Hab. — Illinois to Minnesota; south to Nebraska.
A snake belonging to this genus, collected at Fort Davis, Texas, having 9 upper labials; 27 rows of scales, of which six are slightly keeled; warm grayish ash color, with a series of narrow brown dorsal spots, eighty in number, and the lateral series indistinct, was described by Dr. Yarrow under the name of Coluber baircU in Cope, Bullet in U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 17, p. 41 (1880). The speci- men remains unique and its relations are consequently doubtful.
RHINECHIS Michahelles.
Wagl., loon. Amph., PI. 25 (1833); Cope, I. c, 637, and Eep. Nat. Miis., 862 ; Coluber (part) BouL, I. c, II, 24.
Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; one loreal; one preocular; two internasals; two nasals; rostral entering between the interuasals and projecting anteriorly; scales smooth, with two pits, in 27-ol rows; anal entire; size moderate; head small and slightly distinct.
Hab. — Southwestern United States and Mexico.
Rhinechis elegans Kenn.
Arizona elegtois Kenn., U. S. and Mex. Bound. Surv. Kept., 18, PI. XIII (1859); Van Den., I. c, 193 ; Wdnechis elerjans Cope, I. c, 638, and Rep. Nat. jNIus., 863 ; Coluber arizonce BouL, I. c, II, 66.
Body not very stout; head slightly distinct; snout projecting; rostral extending posteriorly between the internasals; two nasals; oculars 1 (2)-2; loreal long and narrow; temporals 2-3 (4); upper labials 8; scales iu 27-31 rows; ventrals 207-227; sub- caudals 45-59.
Brownish or reddish yellow above; a dorsal series of transvei'se brown spots, eight or nine scrfles wide, edged with darker brown, and two alternating series on each side, the upper one subcircular, the lower indistinct and on the three outer scale rows; belly white or yellowish without markings : a dark oblique streak behind the eye and indistinct bands or spots on the head; a few small .spots on the anterior labials. The largest of two specimens from Pecos, Tex., now living in the Zoological Society's collection, measures 1100 mm. (tail 150). The dorsal interspaces are pink.
Hab. — Texas to southern California and northern Mexico.
52 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
PITYOPHIS llolljrook.
Pituophis Holb., No. Am. Herp., IV, 7 (1842); B. and G., I c, 64; Cope, I. c, 638, and Eep. Nat. Miis., 865 ; Coluber (part) Boul., I. c, II, 24.
]Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; rostral exteuded behind; one loreal; one preocular with sometimes a small one beneath; tAvo nasals; two internasals; four to six prefrontals; scales keeled with pits in 29-35 rows; anal entire; size large; head moderately distinct.
Hab. — North America and Mexico.
The species of Pityo])his within the United States may be deter- mined upon the following grounds: P. melanohucus, from the eastern States, has a high rostral, in most cases reaching the pre- frontals, and has large dorsal spots, 26-35 in number, on the body ; usually about the four outer rows of scales are smooth.
P. sayi, from west of the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains, has the rostral less high, usually reaching about two-thirds of the distance to the prefrontals, and has smaller spots, 40-60, on the body, and usually seven or eight smooth rows of scales.
P. catenifer, from the Pacific coast, west of the Sierra Nevada, has a low rostral, usually not penetrating between the internasals, and agrees generally in pattern with sayi.
These characters of the rostral and the dorsal spots are fairly constant, but examination of a considerable number of specimens from the region of the Great Basin leaves no doubt in my mind that the form found there intergrades with both catenifer and sayi, and reduces them to subspecies. The two species recognized here may in almost every case be distinguished by color characters alone :
Rostral high; no head bands; spots large and few,
1. P. melanoleucus. Rostral lower; head bands distinct; spots small and many,
2. P. catenifer.
Pityophis catenifer Blainville.
Coluber catenifer BL, Nouv. Ann. du Mus., IV, 290, PI. 21, fig. 2 (1835).
In this species the rostral varies from low and broad to high and narrow above, penetrating sometimes between the internasals but not reaching the prefrontals; prefrontals usually four, but occa-
1901.] XATURAL SCIEXCES OF PIIILADF^LPIIIA. 53
gionally six; preucular 1, with occasionally a small additional one below; three post-oculars ; temporals 3-4 (5); upper labials 8 or 9 ; scales in 27-35 rows, from three to twelve outer rows smooth ; the dorsal spots are quite small and range from 40-70 in number on the body; three series of more or less defined spots on the sides; the head is transversely banded between the orbits, from the orbit vertically downward on the labials, and obliquely from the post- oculars to the angle of the mouth; ventrals 205-243; subcaudals 50-72.
The three subspecies may usually be distinguished by the shape of the rostral :
Rostral low and broad, 1. P. c. catenifer.
Rostral higher, 2. P. c, hellona.
Rostral highest, 3. P. e. sayi.
Pityophis catenifer catenifer Blainville.
Coluber catenifer BL, I. c, 290; Pltuophis catenifer, P. Wilkesii and P. annectens B. and G., I. c, 69, 71, 72 ; P. catenifer Cope, I. c, €41, and Eep. Nat. Mns., 876 ; Coluber catenifer (part) Boul., I. c, II, 67; P. catenifer Van Den., I. c, 195.
In this Pacific coast form the rostral is lowest of all and reaches, without penetrating, the internasals; upper labials 8 or 9; tem- porals 2 (3)-4; scales in 29-35 rows, none strongly keeled and from four to eleven smooth. Usually there are not more than five smooth rows, but a large specimen from Fort Tejon, Cal. (No. 3,800, Academy coll.), has eleven smooth on each side. Very little reliance can be placed, however, on the number of smooth rows in any gf the species of PUijophis, as they not infre- quently vary in different parts of the same individual. Ventrals 205-230; subcaudals 50-70.
Ground color yellowish or brownish ; there are usually 50-70 dorsal spots on the body, but sometimes these are as few as 36, from 15-21 on the tail; anteriorly the spots are black, becoming brownish toward the tail; belly yellowish, with a series of dark spots on the ends of the ventrals and sometimes another ill-defined series on the middle; the head bands are distinct. Length 1,900 mm. (tail 315).
Hab. — Pacific coast west of the Sierra Nevada.
54 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Pityophis catenifer bellona B. aud G.
Churchillia bellona B. and G., Stans. Exp. Salt Lake, 350 (1852); P. bellona (part) B. and G., I. f , 66, and Pac. K. R. Surv. Rept., PI. XXIX, fig. 4(i ; P. sayi bellona Cope, I. c, 641, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 872 ; Coluber catenifer (part) and C. melanolcucus (part) Boul., I. c., II, 67, 68 ; P. catenifer deserticola Slej., No. Am. Fauna, No. 7, Pt. II, 206.
Tliis form appears to be found through the so-called Great Basin, from Arizona northward to Utah and jS^evada. The rostral is ahnost always higher than in P. c. catenifer, but less so than in P. c. sayi; it commonly penetrates between the iuternasals about one-third of their length. No. 3,978 Academy collection, from Ogdeu, Utah, has the rostral barely touching the interuasals, as in P. c. catenifer, aud has a maximum of six rows of smooth scales. No. 3,782, from Owens' Valley, Cal., has the i-ostral penetrating further, fully one-third, and has three rows of smooth scales. No. 10,378, from Salt Lake, has the rostral as in No. 3,782. This specimen, 1,040 mm. long, was taken in 1899, and has sixty-four spots on the body, with seventeen on the tail; 31 rows of scales, of which four are smooth; the colors are very distinct, and on the posterior two-thirds of the body the light interspaces are pink. Mr. Stejneger (/. c ) has applied the name c?eseHico/a to this form, on the ground that bellona B. and G. is a synonym of sayi. It is probably true that the type of bellona — now lost — belonged to the plains form, but, as Prof. Cope points out, Baird's plate in the Pacific R. R. Survey represents the one now under consideration. In such a case, when there is a question as to abso- lute invalidity, I see no good reason for supflantiug an old and well-known name by a new one. The intensify of color, including the pink tinge on the hinder half of the body, is hardly sufficient for subspecific distinction, for even if it should be constant — and some examples which have been four years in alcohol do not show it — it is of no great importance, and Florida specimens of P. vielanoleucHs would be quite as well entitled to separation on account of their rufous tints. The size of this form seems to be about as in P. c. catenifer.
Hab. — California east of the Sierra Nevada; Utah and Nevada south to Arizona and New Mexico.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 00
Pityophis catenifer sayi Schlegel.
Coluber sayi Sch., Ess. Phys. Serp., II, 157 (1837); PituopMs bellona (part), P. McCUUanii and P. sayi B. and G., I. c, 66, 68, 151 ; P. sayi sayi Cope. I. c, 641, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 870 ; Coluber melano- leucus (part) Boul., I. c, II, 68.
The rostral is narrow above and penetrates the internasals about two-thirds of their length ; an inferior preocular is frequently present; upper labials 8 or 9 ; scales in 27-3o rows, usually five to nine smooth; the dorsal spots are larger and usually fewer in number than in the other forms of catenifer, but an occasional specimen exhibits an equally large number. There are sometimes as few as forty, but two living specimens in my possession show respectively fifty-three and sixty-nine; veutrals 215-230; sub- caudals 50-62.
The body color is yellowish or reddish brown ; the spots are black anteriorly and more or less blackish brown posteriorly ; the belly is yellowish, with a small dark blotch on the end of each alternate ventral; labials margined with dark brown; the head bauds are usually distinct, but in two large specimens from Pecos, Tex. , they are almost obsolete. The largest I have measured is 1,990 mm, (tail 190); greatest circumference 210 mm. This species doubtless reaches a length of over two metres.
Hab. — The range is very extensive: from Canada to Mexico,
between the Mississippi river and the Rocky Mountains. It has
also been taken in Illinois. No. 4,689 Academy collection, from
Vernon, British Columbia, is not distinguishable from it; in fact,
in this specimen the posterior extension of the rostral approaches
melanoleucus.
PityopMs melanoleucus Daudin.
Coluber melanoleucus Daud., Hist., des Rept., VI, 409 (1803); Pitu- opMs melanoleucus B. and G., I. c, 65 ; Cope, I. c, 640, and Rep. Nat. 3Ius., 867 ; Coluber melanoleucus (part) Boul., I. c, II, 68.
In the eastern form the rostral reaches the extreme of elevation, in many cases completely separating the internasals and being iu contact with the prefrontals; usuall}^ four prefrontals; oculars 1-3, sometimes a small sub-preocular; temporals small, 4 (3)-5; upper labials 8; scales in from 27-33 rows, usually 27 or 29, of which in most cases four to seven are smooth (in a large specimen from New Jersey there are seven smooth rows anteriorly and four on the hinder part of the body).
56 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.»
Body color whitish or buff, h'ghter on the sides. The dorsal spots are larger than in catenifer, and range from 25-35 on the body and 5-8 on the tail; they are blackish brown, more or less marked with paler brown on their centres; two or three series of rather indistinct spots on the sides; belly ivory white, with brown spots on the ends of the ventrals at intervals of about four scales. There are no distinct head bands in adults, though they are shown by the young. The top of the head is yellow, each plate more or less marked by pale brown; labials margined Avith brown. Of nearly one hundred Florida specimens which I have seen, all were uniformly tinged with rusty brown over the whole upper surface. Ventrals 210-230; subcaudals 52-65. The largest which I have measured was 1,837 mm. long (tail 185).
Hab. — New Jersey to Ohio, and south to the Gulf coast; most common along the seacoast.
ZAMENIS AVagler.
Syst. Amph., 188 (1830); Bascanion and Masticoplm B. and G., I. c, 93, 98 ; Bascanivtm Cope, I. c, 621 ; Zamenis fpart) BouL, I. c, 1, 379, and Cope, Eep. Nat. 3Ius., 787.
Maxillary teeth smooth, increasing gradually behind, with some- times a slight interspace; one loreal; two preoculars, the lower very small; two nasals; two internasals; scales smooth or faintly keeled, with pits; anal divided; body long and slender; head distinct.
Hab. — Europe, Asia and North America.
The North American species (= Bascanium B. and G. ) have a purely syncranterian dentition and smooth scales. The forms inhabiting the southern tier of states are puzzling in the extreme. To reach conclusions which shall at least have the merit of con- sistency, the changes which take place with growth in the best- known species from the eastern Gulf States, Z. f. flagellum, must be considered. Here the young are pale brownish with narrow, darker cross-bauds on the whole upper surface; an occasional specimen also shows indistinct wider cross-bands anteriorly. The outer four or five rows of scales (rather more anteriorly) have pale edges, leaving a narrow dark line on the centre of each scale, giving the appearance of four or five narrow broken stripes on the sides. In eastern examples these markings usually disap- pear with age, although the cross-bands occasioually persist. From Texas westward there are forms in which the cross-bands have
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 57
become fixed, and others in wliich more or less of the lateral stripes have become likewise permanent, and even more distinct, although in these last the narrow cross-bands have disappeared in the young, which are striped. It must also be borne in mind that there is a marked inequality in the color intensity of all the American species, as there is a tendency for the color to remain pale on the hinder half of the body, involving the disappearance of the pattern. This is the case even in the uniformly colored species, as Z. e. constrictor, in which the change to the light colors of v/estern specimens first shows on the tail, and Z. f. pkeiis, in which the bases of the scales posteriorly are pale.
The relative proportions in width of the hinder part of the frontal and supraocular plates are also growth characters and therefore irregular, and in my belief will bear only a small part of the weight which lias been placed upon them.
Duly considering the various combinations in adults, of these early characters, I conclude that the Z. flagellam group extends from Florida to California, with two forms in addition to the typical one which demand recognition ; these are Z. f. piceus and Z. f. frenatus. The striped forms, extending from Texas to Cali- fornia, have become differentiated to the point of wider separation, and seem to me to fall into two species: Z. txeniatus (with a sub- species Z. t. ornatiis) and Z. lateralis. Z. schotti B. and G. and Z. semilineatus Cope, I can regard only as fortuitous examples of tceniatas and lateralis respectively.
This is almost a complete reversal of the views held by Prof. Cope, but the facts appear to me to indicate that the subspecies here admitted are tending in the direction of fixed characters, while those rejected are no more than instances of incomplete development.
Key to the Species.
A. — Adults not striped; 17 rows of scales:
7 upper labials; black, bluish, olive or green,
1. Z. constrictor.
8 upper labials; pale brown, or dark in front,
2. Z. flacjelhon. B. — AVith stripes on the sides:
17 rows; brown w'ith a narrow yellow stripe on third and
fourth rows, 3. Z. lateralis.
15 rows; brown with 3-5 narrow dark stripes on sides,
4. Z. tieniatus.
58 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jau.,
Zameuis constrictor L.
Coluber constrictor L., Sj-st. Nat., Ed. X, 216 (1758).
Body slender with long tail; head scales normal; frontal rather more than half the width of supraoculars, behind; two nasals; one loreal; oculars 2-2; temporals 2-2 ; upper labials 7 (rarely 8); scales in 17 rows; ventrals 164-189; subcaudals 79-110.
Length 1,525 mm. (tail one-fourth to one-fifth).
Eastern specimens are black al)ove and slate color beneath ; west of the Mississippi they are usually green or olive above, yellow beneath. There are transitional stages between these extremes and they are good subspecies :
Size larger; black above, slate color beneath, 1. Z. c. constrictor-. Size smaller; green or olive above; yellow beneath,
2. Z. c. Jiaviventris.
Zamenis constrictor constrictor I-
I. c, 216; Bascanion constrictor B. and G., I. c, 93 ; B. constrictor (part) Cope, I. c, 6i3 ; Zamenis constrictor (part) Boul., I. c, I, 387, and Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 791.
Examples from the east are lustrous black above; belly slate color; chin and throat white. One specimen from Pennsylvania now living in the Zoological Gardens presents the curious anomaly of a distinctly brown snout. In the western portion of its range it becomes bluish or olive black and the belly gets lighter. The young are unlike the adults, being gray, spotted or cross-banded with darker. Ventrals 175-189; subcaudals 83-110. The length of the largest I have seen was 1,470 mm. (tail 310).
Hab. — United States east of the central plains; northern Mexico.
Zamenis constrictor flaviventris Say.
Coliiher jhuilventrls S.iy, Long's Exp., IT, 185 (1823) ; Bascanion flavi- ventris and B. vetustus B. and G., I. c, 96, 97 ; B. constrictor (part) Cope, I. c, 623 ; Zamenis constrictor (part) Boul., I. c, I, 3S7, and Cope, Kep. Nat. Mus., 791 ; B. c. vetustnm Van Den., I. c, 183 ; Z. stejnegerianus Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 797.
Size rather smaller and body more slender than in B. c. con- strictor; the scutellation is similar, but an eighth labial is more fi-equentiy present; ventrals 164-188; subcaudals 79-95.
Length about 1,100 mm. (tail rather more than one-fourth). In examples from the plains the color is often bright green above and bright yellow underneath; chin and throat paler yellow; such specimens arc usual in Kansas and Oklahoma, ^yestward and on
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. -39
•tl>e Pacific coast the color darkens to olive, more or less yellowish green beneath.
I see no reason for regarding Z. stejnegerianns Cope as anything more than the present subspecies with eight labials. The sub- division of the loreal is so obviously abnormal that it is not worth considering. The type and only specimen came from southeastern Texas.
Hab. — United States west of the Mississippi river.
Zamenis flagellum Shaw.
Coluhcr jiac/dlum Shaw, Gen. Zool., Ill, Pt. 11,475 (1802); Stej., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1894, 595.
This species has the scutellation of Z. constrictor, but the labials are 8 ; the frontal has half the width of the supraoculars behind ; the muzzle is more elevated and the tail is longer; ventrals 184-- 210; subcaudals 80-112.
The young are cross-banded, and this pattern persists in some cases until they are grown.
Hab. — Southern United States from Florida to California.
There appear to be three color forms :
Pale brown; dark brown anteriorly, ... 1. Z. f. fiagellum. Brown ; narrow cross-bands in front, . . . 2. Z. f. frenatum. Dark brown; pink beneath, Z. Z. j. jiiceus.
Zamenis flagellum flagellum Shaw.
I. c, 475 ; Mastic oplids flag elllformia and Coluber testaceus B. and G., I. c, 98, 150 ; B. fl(ir/elliforme Cope, I. c, 625; Zamenis flagelU- formis (part) Boul., I. c., I, 389 ; Z. /.flagellum (part) Cope, Rep. Nat Mus., 799.
Body slender with very long tail ; the upper preocular very large; upper labials 8 (rarely 7); scales in 17 rows; ventrals 184-210; subcaudals 80-112.
Reaches an extreme length of 1,800 mm. (tail 385 to 430). In adults the head and anterior portion of the body is blackish brown, then dark brown back to the posterior half or third of the body, which is pale yellowish brown, each scale with a darker basal mar- gin ; belly yellowish posteriorly, black or brown under the dark anterior portion, somewhat spotted behind; sometimes each ven- tral is mai'gined with brown ; generally a light spot on the pre- oculars; chin and throat white, more or less spotted with brown.
The young have narrow cross-bands on the body which are sometimes retained to maturity. A Florida specimen 1,780 mm.
60 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.^
long, now living in the Zoological Gardens, shows these bands on the pale posterior portion of the body after shedding. Another, also from Florida, has indistinct wide cross-bands as in Z. t. ornafus.
Examples from west of the Mississippi are often of paler colors, with dark heads, and adults sometimes show the wide cross-bands and even indications of the liglit lateral stripes of ornatus.
I was formerly of the opinion that testaceuni Say should be admitted as a pale desert form, but examination of a considerable number of living specimens fi'om central Texas and westward, satisfy me that occasional individuals only, show its extreme pale- ness.
Hab. — South Carolina and Florida to Arizona; northern Mexico. Zamenis flagellum frenatus Stej.
N. Am. Fauna, No. 7,208 (1893); Z. f. ■flagellum (part) Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 802 ; Z. fiagelliformis (part) Boul., I. c, I, 389.
Mr. Stejneger has proposed to regard as a subspecies the form of Z. fiftfjelhim from Arizona and westward with permanent cross- bands on the anterior portion of the body. This is the retention of a juvenile character which was referred to under the preceding subspecies, and which would doubtless be moi'e evident in eastern specimens, were it not iov the dark color which pervades those parts in the adult; but there is so strong a disposition for this character to become permanent in the far west, that Mr. Stejneger is prob- ably right in recognizing the form.
The following description is taken from a beautiful living speci- men lately received from Yuma, Ariz., through the kindness of ]Mr. Herbert Brown :
17 rows of scales; 8 upper labiais; veutrals 193; sub-caudals 100; length 1,400 mm. (tail 345). Body color rather pale brown extending to the ventrals; most of the scales are darker at the tip and faintly edged with pink; the lower edge of the outer row and the adjacent ends of the ventrals are whitish, forming an indistinct line, which is more obvious anteriorly and disappears before reaching the tail; the three or four outer rows are faintly darker in the centre, suggesting the dark lateral stripes of Z. tcenlatus. The anterior fourth of the body is crossed by indistinct bands, one and a half to two scales wade; top of head rather darker brown, witli a light spot on the pre- and post-oculars;
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 61
indications of a light line from the nostril to the eye ; upper labials yellow on the lower margin, more broadly behind; belly yellowish, much clouded Avith pink, which tends to form longitu- dinal stripes in front; throat and chin yellow, spotted with dark brown.
Hab. — Arizona, Nevada, Utah and southern California.
Zamenis flagellum piceus Cope.
Bascaniuni piceum Cope, I. c, 6'25 ; Z. flarjeUiformis (part) BouL, I. c, I. 389 ; B.f. piceus Cope, Kep. Nat. Mus., 804 ; B. pkeiiiii Stej., No. Am. Fauna, No. 7, 209.
The type specimen, from Camp Grant, Arizona, has 19 rows of scales; 17 is probably the usual number, as Mr. Stejueger mentions one with that number, which agrees with a living example received at the Zoological Gardens in 1894 from Tucson; this speci- men had 8 upper labials on one side and 9 on the other. The color in life was a rich dark brown wiih a purplish tinge, poste- riorly most of the scales were light brown at the base; the belly was pink slightly spotted with dusky, Avhich increased anteriorly until the throat was nearly black ; there was a little pink on the pre- oculars and lower labials; rest of head very dark. The pink rapidly faded to yellow in alcohol. This specimen is now in the Academy's collection. Ventrals 196; subcaudals 108; length 1,650 mm. (tail 380), Cope's specimen measured 1,263 mm, and the tail was proportionately longer (355 mm),
Hab.— The three specimens known ai-e from southern Arizona.
Zamenis lateralis Ilallowell.
LeptopMs lateralis Hall., Proc. Acad. Phila. 1853, 237 ; Buscanium latcrale lai er ale Coi>e, I. c, 628 ; Zamenis tseniat us (part) Boul., I. c, I, 300 ; B. laterale Van Den., I. c, 188 ; Z. lateralis lateralis and Z. semilineatus Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 808, 805.
Scales in 17 rows; upper labials 8; tail between one-third and one-fourth of the length; ventrals 190-199 ; subcaudals 105-123, Length about 1,500 mm.
Brown above with a narrow yellow stripe on the third and fourth rows, sometimes extending to the tail and often narrowly bordered with black; belly yellow with a few dark spots under the throat and chin; no spots on top of head; a more or less distinct light spot on the temporals and a light line from the nostril to the eye; labials light, a little spotted,
Hab. — Arizona and southern California.
62 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Zamenis taeniatus Hallow ell.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1852, 181.
This species is characterized by the presence of 15 rows of scales, 8 upper labials, and longitudinal stripes on the sides; frontal about half the width of supraoculars posteriorly ; tail very long; ventrals 188-210; subcaudals 120-157. The young are striped.
Hab. — Western Texas to California.
Pale brown; often wide cross-bands; two pale lateral stripes,
1. Z. t. ornatus.
Dark brown; no cross-bands; 3 or 4 narrow dark lateral stripes,
2. Z. t. tceniatus.
Zamenis taeniatus ornatus B. and G.
Mastkophis ornatus B. and G., I. c, 102. 159 ; Baseanium tmniatum subs, ornatum Cope, Ball. U. S. Nat. IMus., I, 40 ; B. ornatum Cope, I. c, 629; Zamenis tceniatus (part) Boul., I. c, I, 390; Z. ornatus Cope, liep. Nat. Mus., 813.
Scales usually in 15 rows (No. 5,362 Academy coll., from Arizona, has 17); ventrals 200-206; subcaudals 130-152.
Length about 1,700 mm. (tail 565).
Pale brown above, with more or less distinct wide cross-bands of purplish brown on the back; the whole upper surface is sometimes suffused with the darker color, in which case the cross-bands are obscure or absent; a yellowish longitudinal line on the outer row and the edge of the ventrals, and another on the third and fourth rows; the upper one is edged with black and sometimes there is a faint dark line through the middle of it; belly yellow, more or less blotched.
Hab. —Western Texas.
Zamenis tseniatus taeniatus Hallowell.
Leptophis tceniatus Hall., Proc. Acad. Phila., 1852, 181 ; Masticopliis tceniatus and 31. Schotti B. and G., I. c, 103, 160 ; B. tceniatum and B. Schotti Cope, I. c, 629; Zamenis tceniatus (part) Boul., I. c, I, 390 ; B. tceniatus Van Den., I. c., 190 ; Z. schottii and Z. tceniatus Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 811, 815.
Snout and muzzle rather long and narrow; body slender and tail very long; scales in 15 rows (very rarely 17); upper labials 8; temporals 2-2; ventrals 188-209; subcaudals 120-157.
Length about 1,300 mm. (tail 370).
Yellowish brown to dark brown, the outer four or five rows lighter, each having a narrow black line running on the centre, and
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 6S
usually another on the edge of the ventrals; most of the scales on the rest of the dorsal region have dark centres; yellowish beneath, without spots except sometimes on the throat; top of head dark; an indistinct light line from the nostril to the eye; a light spot on both pre- and post-oculars; labials yellow, a little spotted.
I am unable to formulate a valid distinction between 7j. schotti B. and G. and this species ; the stripes appear not to run as far back, but they are variable in this respect in Z. t. keniatm, and their disappearance on the tail is doubtless a result of the fading out of color (or, more coi-rectly, the failure to develop it) poste- riorly, which is common in the genus. No. 5,369 Academy coll. (old number 1,973), labeled schotti, from the Rio Grande, appears to be one of Schott's original specimens, and almost exactly cor- responds to No. 5,363, a tieniatus from Utah, of about the same date. But it must be admitted that no great reliance can be placed upon color characters in specimens which have been for so man}- years in spirits.
Hab. — Arizona, Utah and southern California.
SALVADORA B. and G.
I. c, 104; Cope, I. c, 618, and Rep. Nat. Mus.. 817; Zamenis (part) Boul., I. c, I, 379.
Maxillary teeth smooth, increasing posteriorly, no interspace; rostral widened laterally with projecting edges; one loreal; two internasals; two nasals; two or three preoculars ; pupil round; scales smooth with pits in 17 rows; anal divided; size medium; body slender; head distinct.
Hab. — Southwestern United States ; Mexico.
This genus is like Zamenis, but has the rostral considerably enlarged, Avith free, expanded lateral borders.
Salvadora grahami B. and G.
I. c, 104 ; Cope, I. c, 619, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 818 ; Zamenis (jra- harni Boul., I c, I, 39:5 ; S. (irahami Van Den., I. c, 180 ; Phvmo- thi/ra 7iexalei)is Cope, Proc. Acad. Phila., 18t)l, 300 ; S. (j. hexalepis Stej., No. Amer. Fauna, No. 7, 203.
Head plates normal; rostral entering between internasals; lower preocular small, sometimes a third preocular ; post-oculars 2 or 3 ; temporals 1 (2)-2 (3); upper labials 8; scales in 17 rows; ven- trals 175-206; subcaudals 75-108.
Length about 1,200 ram. (tail 300).
A yellowish dorsal stripe about three scales wide, narrowing
64 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
toward the tail; on each side a bi'own or olive stripe about the same width, bordered below Ijy a greenish olive or brown stripe extending to the veutrals; the stripes are sometimes indistinct and at others are broken into spots; belly yellowish; head brown, usually unmarked.
Ilab. — Western Texas to Utah and Arizona; Sonora and Lower California.
Several other species of Salvadora are found in Mexico.
PHYLLORHYNCHUS Stej.
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1890, 151 ; Cope, I. c, 617, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 831 ; Lytorhynchm (part) Boul., I c, I, 414.
Max'llary teeth smooth, longer behind, an interspace; rostral l)roniinent with pi'ojectiug lateral edges, and separating the inter- nasals; two to four loreals; three preoculars; small scales between the eye and the labials; two nasals; two iuteruasals; pupil verti- cal; one pair of chin shields; scales smooth or partly keeled, with- out pits, in 19 rows; anal entire; size medium; head slightly distinct.
Hab. — North America and INIexico.
Phyllorhynclius browni Stej.
I. c, 152; Cope, I. c, 618, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 821; Lytorhynchus browni Boul., I. c, I, 417.
Body slender; rostral very large, projecting, with free edges and completely sej^arating the internasals; a transversely enlarged shield behind the parietals; loreals 3, the upper and lower small; oculars 3-4; several suboculars separating the eye from the labials; upper labials 6; temporals 3; one pair of chin shields; scales in 19 rows, nearly smooth anteriorly, keeled behind; ventrals 159; subcaudals 31.
Length 325 mm. (tail 42).
Whitish, with 15 brown blotches, mostly subquadrangular and lighter in the centre; belly white; a dark l)ar across the head between the eyes.
Hab. — Only two specimens known, from Tucson, Arizona.
Phyllorhynclius decurtatus Cope.
Phimothyra dccurtata Cope, Proc. Acad. Phila., 1868, 310 ; Phyllo- rhyiichiis decurtatus Stej., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1890, 154, and Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 823 ; Lytorhynchus decurtatus Boul., I. c, I, 417.
Much like P. browni, but the scales are smooth; there is no
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 65
enlarged shield behind the parietals; the tail is shorter; the dorsal spots are more numerous and there are two series of irregular lateral spots. The type specimen in the Academy's collection is from northern Lower California, and there is a second in the National Museum from La Paz. A third, which has just reached me from Mr. Herbert Brown, collected by him at Yuma, Ariz., for the first time estabhshes the species within the United States. This specimen differs from the type in that the rosti*al penetrates between the prefrontals as in P. broumi ; there is but one subocu- lar, and but two post-oculars on one side; there are four temporals; the tail is rather longer, and the spots are more numerous, being forty-one on the body and six on the tail (thirty-two altogether in the type). Yeutrals 183; subcaudals 30. Length 403 mm. (tail 40).
Hab. — Lower California; Yuma, Arizona.
CYCLOPHIS Gunther.
Cat. Col. Snakes, Br. Mus., Gunth., 119 (1858); Cope, I. c, 621 ; Lep- tophis B. and G., ?. c, 106 ; Contia (part) Boul., I. c, II, 255.
Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; one loreal; one preocular; two internasals; one nasal; scales keeled with two pits; anal divided; size small, tail long; head distinct; color green.
Hab. — Asia; North America.
CyclopMs aestivus L.
Coluber cestivus L., Syst. Nat., Ed. XII, 387 (1766); Leptophis cestivus and majalis B and G., I. c, lOG ; Cydophis cestivus Cope, I. c, 621, and Eej). Nat. Mus., 784 ; Contia cestiva Boul., I. c, II, 258.
Head scales normal; loreal rather long, occasionally absent; oculars 1-2 (of two examples from New Jersey in my collection, one has a sul)preocular on each side, and the other has three post- oculars on one side); temporals 1-2; upper labials 7, the third and fourth in orbit (one from Florida has the fourth and fifth in the orbit on one side); ventrals 148-166; subcaudals 111-148; scales in 17 rows, the outer smooth. Length 920 mm. (tail 330).
Uniform bright green abov^e; labials and belly yellowish wliite or bright yellow.
Hab. — New Jersey to Florida, west to the Mississippi, southwest to New Mexico.
6Q TROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan,,
LIOPELTIS Cope.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860. 559 ; Chlorosoma B. and G., I. c, 108 ; Lio' peltis Cope, I. c, 620, and Rep. Nat. Mus.,781 ; Contia (part) BouL, I. c, II, 255.
Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; head scales normal; a loreal, occasionally absent; one nasal; scales smooth, with one pit; anal divided; size small; tail long; head distinct.
Hab. — Eastern Asia; North America.
Liopeltis vernalis Harlan.
Coluber vernalis Harl., Jour. Acad. Phila., V, 1827, p. 361 ; Chloro- soma vernalis B. and G., I. c, 108 ; L. vernalis Cope, I. c, 0'20, and Kep. Nat. Mus., 783 ; Contia vernalis Boiil., I. c., II, 258.
Head scales normal; loreal nearly square, sometimes fused with the nasal; one nasal; oculars 1 (2)-2; temporals 1-2; upper labials 7, third and fourth in orbit; lower labials 8; scales smooth in 15 rows; ventrals 120-138; subcaudals 69-94.
Uniform bright green above; labials and belly yellowish green. Length 500 mm. (tail 150).
Hab. — Canada and United States east of Rocky Mountains; rare in the southeastern States.
CONTIA B. and G.
I. c, 110 ; Cope (part), I. c, 599, and Chionactis Cope, I. c, 604, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 925, 935^8 ; Contia (part) BouL, I. c, II, 255 ; ? Lodia B. and G., Z. c, 116.
Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; one loreal; one preocular; one nasal, sometimes half divided below the nostril; two interuasals; scales smooth, without pits in 15-17 rows; anal divided; size small; head not very distinct.
Hab. — North America; Asia.
Key to the American Species.
a. — 13 rows of scales; pale brown, no cross-bars, . 1. C. taijlori. b. — 15 rows of scales:
Reddish or greenish brown; sometimes cross-bands,
2. C. episcopa.
AVhite, Avith bands or rings around body, 3. C. occipitale.
Brown, with a light band on each side, . . 4. C. mitis.
^'Prof. Cope removes all the species included here in Contia, except G. mitis, to CJiionactis Cope, on account of their possession of a shallow external groove on the posterior maxillary tooth. Thi.s is probably the same noted by Dr. Giinther as a distinct elongated pit at the base of the hinder teeth in large specimens of the Mexican Conopsis nasus (Biologia Centrali Ameri- cana, Rept., p. 97). Sufficient material is not accessible to determine either the constancy or the value of this character, and it seems best for the present to retain these snakes in the genus Contia.
1901.] NATURAL SCIEXCES OF PHILADELrillA, 67
Contia taylori Boulenger.
I. c, II, 265, PI. XII, fig. 3 ; Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 93G. Nasal not divided; oue loreal. longer than deep; oculars 1-2; temporals 1-1 (2); upper labials 7; posterior chin shields very small; scales in 1-3 rows; ventrals 126-137; subcaudals 37-46; length 270 mm. (tail 55).
" Pale brown above, each scale darkest along the centre; upper lip and lower parts white."
Hab. — Duval county, Texas; northern Mexico (three specimens known). Contia episcopa Kennicott.
Lamprosoma episcopum Keiin., U.S. Mex. Bound. Siirv., p. 22, pi 8, fig. 2 (1859).
This species has the scales in 15 rows; an undivided nasal; an elongated loreal; 7 upper labials; oculars 1-2; temporals 1-2 (1); ventrals 143-167; subcaudals 35-57; tail about one-fourth of the length. Ranges from Texas to Utah, Arizona and northern Mexico.
Rosy yellow to ashy; no cross-bands, . . . 1. C e. episcopa. Orange, with black cross-bands, 2. C. e. isozona.
Contia episcopa episcopa Kennicott.
I. c, 22 ; C. e. episcopa and C. e. torquata Cope, I. c, 601 ; C. ejnscopa and C. torquata BouL, I. c, II, 265, 266 ; Chiouactis episcopa epis- copa and C. e. torquata Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 938, 939.
Ventrals 143-163; subcaudals 35-57. Length about 250 mm.
Yellowish, reddish or greenish brown, sometimes with a yellow dorsal stripe three scales wide; most of the scales tipped with light brown; top of head like the body, or brown or black; belly yel- lowish or greenish white.
C. e. torquata Cope rests upon degrees of color intensity which are admittedly inconstant in the two specimens known.
Hab. — Texas and northern Mexico.
Contia episcopa isozona Cope.
Prdc. Acad. Phila., 1866, 304. and I. c, 601 ; C. isozona Boul., I. c, II, 266.
Ventrals 158-167; subcaudals 50-52; orange or red with black cross-bands which almost reach the ventrals, becoming complete rings on the tail; belly whitish; snout red, rest of head black. Length about 250 mm.
Hab. — Texas to Arizona and Utah; Sonora.
68 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Contia occipitale nallowell.
Rluiioitomn occipitale Hall., Proc. Acad. Phila. ; 1854, 95; CMonactis occipitalis Cope, I. c, 605, and Kep, Nat. Mus., 941 ; Contia occipitale Boul., l.c, 11,266.
Snout prominent; nasal undivided; loreal small ; oculars 1-2; temporals 1-2; upper labials 7; scales in 15 rows; tail about one- fifth of total length; ventrals 147-158; subcaudals 34-44.
Length about 300 ram.
Color white or pale yellow, sometimes pinkish; narrow black rings around the body at intervals of about five scales, sometimes interrupted on the ventrals; rest of belly whitish; a Ijlack crescent on the hinder part of parietals with the horns forward.
Hab. — Arizona.
Contia mitis B. and G.
I. c, 110 ; ? Loilia tenuis B. and G., I. c, 116 ; C, mitis and L. tenuis Cope, I. c, 601 ; Contia mitis Boul., I. c, II. 267, and YanDeu., I. c, 163.
Size small; tail very short; oculars 1-1 (2); upper labials 7; temporals 1-2; scales in 15 rows; ventrals 147-186; subcaudals 30-52; length 322 mm. (tail 40). Reaches a length of 415 mm.
Dark brown with a yellowish stripe on the fourth row of scales, and a row of black dots below it ; ventrals yellowish edged with black ; a black streak on each side of head ; chin and throat spotted with black.
Lodia tenuis B. and G. , was based upon one example from Puget Sound, Oregon, agreeing with G. mills except in having a small additional plate between the prefrontals, and the loreal reach- ing the eye under the preocular. As no further specimen has come to light in fifty years, it seems safe to refer this unique example to the class of anomalies, the head plates being usually variable in these small burrowing forms.
Hab. — Central California to Washington and Oregon.
DIADOPHIS B. andG.
I. c, 112 ; Cope, I. c, 614, and Kep. Nat. Mus., 743 ; Coronella (part) Boul., I. c, II, 188.
Maxillary teeth smooth, subequal; one loreal; two preociilars; two internasals; two nasals; scales smooth with one pit, in 15-17 rows; anal divided; size small; head distinct.
Hab. — North America; Mexico.
If due attention be paid to juvenile characters, the North
1901.] NATURAL SCIE>'CE3 OF PHILADELPHIA. 69
Americau species of Diaclophis must be limited to three. Baird and Girard established two others, which with a third of his own making, Cope regards as subspecies of D. amabilis. In these forms the chief differences are in the shape of the frontal and supraocular plates, and in the extent to which the dark dorsal area invades the two outer rows of scales. But a series of the eastern form, D. pundatus, of all sizes, shows that exactly these differ- ences, in that species, are age characters, and in a genus whose included forms are so nearly similar, there can be little doubt that they are so in amabilis as well.
Key to the Species,
17 rows of scales; 7 (8) upper labials; ventrals 237 or less,
1. D. r eg alls. 15 rows of scales; 7 (8) upper labials; ventrals 210 or less,
2. D. amabilis. 15 rows of scales; 8(7) upper labiols; ventrals 160 or less,
3 D. 2)unctatus.
Diadophis punctatus L.
Coluber punctatus L., Syst. Nat., Ed. XII, 376 ; D. punctatus B. and G., I. c, 112 ; D. punctatus and D. (nnabihs stictocjenys (part) Cope, I. c, 616, 617, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 751, 750; Coronellu jnmctata Boul., I. c, II, 206.
Head not very distinct; head plates normal; in adults the fron- tal is much narrowed behind and acute; oculars 2 (l)-2; tem- porals 1-1; upper labials 8 (occ. 7); scales in 15 rows; ventrals 136-160; subcaudals 36-62. Leugth 355 mm. (tail ^b).
In adults the color is bluish black or brownish above, covering the whole of the dorsal scales and extending like a bar upon the end of each ventral; the belly is yellow or orange, sometimes with a series of transverse dark blotches in the middle of each ventral, these are, however, often absent; there is usually a yellow half- collar on the nape, half a scale to a full scale in width; the lower half of the upper and the whole of the lower labials is yellow with small spots of black. In the young, the back is bright reddish brown or salmon color, which reaches only the upper border of the second row of scales, and extends downward as the color deepens; the top of the head is dark brown and the nuchal collar is bor- dered behind by a band of the same dark color; the frontal plate is also more angular in front and less tapering behind, than in the adult.
Hab. — North America, east of the Mississippi river.
70 PROCEEDIXGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Diadophis amabilis B. and G.
I. c, 113 ; D. docilis and D. pulchellus B. and G., I. c, 114, 115 •, D. a. amabilis, D. a. 'pulchellus, D. a, docilis and D. a. stictogenys (part) Cope, I. c, 616, and Rep. Nah Mus., 747-750 ; Goromlla amabilis Boul., I. c, II, 2(J7 ; J), amabilis Van Den., I. c, 164.
''' In this species the frontal is broader behind than in either of the others; upper labials 7 (occ. 8); temporals 1-1 (2); scales in 15 rows;^the form is more elongate than in pnnetatas, the ventrak ranging from 182-210; subcaudals 53-63. Length 470 mm. (tail 80).
The coloration is much as in 2^unctatns ; the spots on the ventrals are small and irregular, and the nuchal half-collar is almost always present.
Ilab. — Texas to the Pacific coast; south to Sonora.
Diadophis regalis B. cand G.
I. c, 115 ; D. regalis regalis and Z>. r. arnyi Cope, I. c, 615, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 744, 745 ; Coronella regalis Boul., I. c, II, 208,
The frontal is narrow behind, as m2mnctatus; scales in 17 rows; upper labials 7 (occ. 8); temporals 1-1 (2); ventrals 183-237; subcaudals 5G-75. Length 570 mm. (tail 100); being the largest of the genus.
Ashy to brownish black; belly yellow or reddish with small black spots; the nuchal collar is generally absent.
Hab. — Illinois to Arizona; south to Vera Cruz.
OPHIBOLUS B. and (J.
I. c, 82 ; Cope, I. c, 607 ; Osceola B. and G., I. c, 13:3 and Cope, I. c, 606; Coronella (part) Boul., I. c, II, 188; Osceola and Ophibolus Cope, Hep. Nat. Mus., 881, 902. •*
Maxillary teeth smooth, slightly increasing posteriorly, no inter- space; one loreal ; one prcocular ; two internasals ; two nasals; scales smooth, with two pits, in 19-25 rows; anal entire ; size large and stout to small and slender; head slightly distinct.
Hab. — North America and Mexico.
Key to the Species.
a. — Scales in 21 rows; dorsal spots brown or red with black bor- ders; or rings around body, 1.0. doliatus.
^^ Lampropeltis Filzinger, lately exhumed, is regarded as a nomen nudum for the reasons given under Entwtiia.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 71
6.— Scales in 21-23 rows:*
Size large; black, with centres of scales white or yellow; or
cross-bands of :<arae color, 1.0. getuius.
Size small; yellow and black rings; black rings more or less
divided by red, 3. 0. zonatus.
Size medium; pale brown; dorsal spots much wider than
long; no head bands, ... 4. 0. rhombomaculatus.
c. — Scales in 25 rows; size medium; grayish brown, head bands
distinct, o. 0. calligaster.
Ophibolus doliatus L.
Coluber doliatus L., Syst. Nat., Ed. XII, 379 (176G).
Size medium to small; head scales normal; loreal small and occasionally absent in one form; oculars 1-2; temporals 2 (l)-2 (3); frontal narrow behind in the young, broader in adults; upper labials 7; scales in 21 I'ows (occasionally varying from 17- 23); anterior chin shields much the longest; ventrals 165-215; subcaudals 31-55; tail from one-fifth to one-seventh of the length.
This species covers the United States from the Atlantic coast to the central plains, and extends southwest into INIexico, and varies to an extreme degree, with the usual result in classification. Prof. Cope's scheme of the directive color variations of 0. doliatus, guided by " bathmisra," published in completed form in The American Naturalist, 1893, p. 1066, and finally in The Primary Factors of Organic Evolution, p. 29 (1896), is a remarkable example of the employment of that great gift, the scientific imagination, in a wrong field; for if that work be compared with a large series of doliatus, it becomes evident that the subspecies added by Cope to complete the chain are no more than selected cases, the numberless promiscuous variations being wholly ignored. The course of change from a brown -spotted to a red- ringed snake has not been as orderly, nor as easily marked off, as is there assumed, and iu subdividing the species, natural limita- tions are not readily found.
Key to the Subspecies.
a. — An oblique streak behind the eye :
Dorsal spots reaching to about fifth row; an angular mark
on head; ventrals 190-214, . . 1.0. d. triangulus. Dorsal spots reaching to third or first row; head bands
variable; ventrals 175-203, ... 2. 0. d. clericus.
72 rPOCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
b. — No oblique streak behind eye:
«i. — Dorsal spots reaching outer row or ventrals; no distinct
headbands, S. 0. d. doliatus.
b\ — Black borders of dorsal spots forming rings around body; no alternating spots:
No black blotch on ventrals opposite dorsal spots; top
of head mostly red, . . . . 4. 0. d. coccineus.
A black blotch on ventrals opposite dorsal spots; top
of head mostly black, . . . 5. 0. d. gentiUs.
OpMbolus doliatus triangulus Daudin.
Coluber triajKjulus Daud., Kept., VI, 322 (1803); Oi^Mholus eximius B. and G., I. c, 87; 0. d. triangulus Cope, I. c, 610; Coronella trianriulum (part) Boul., I. c, II, 200 ; Osceola dolinta triangula Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 885.
Largest of the subspecies; temporals 2-2; scales in 21 rows; ventrals 190-214; subcaudals '43-55; length about 1,100 mm.
Body color gray; the dorsal spots are about thirteen scales wide and rarely extend below the fifth row; they are chocolate brown, with black borders in adults, and quite red in the young, and number 40-46 on the body, and 10-13 on the tail; a second smaller alternating series on the sides, which does not reach the ventrals, and a third series of irregular black blotches on the ends of the ventrals; the belly is whitish, blotched with black. The first dorsal spot is commonly extended forward and ends in a conspicu- ous angle on the frontal, the arms of which enclose a triangular light patch; there is a black band across the prefrontals, often with a light centre, and a narrow dark oblique streak behind the eye, bordered above by a light one.
Hab. — Massachusetts to North Carolina; west to Wisconsin. Ophibolus doliatus clericus B. and G.
Ophibolus clericus B, and G., I. c, 88 ; 0. d. collaris, 0. d. clericus Cope, I. c, 609, 610, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 886, 888 ; 0. d. temporalis Cope, Am. Nat., 1893, 1068 and Rep. Nat. Mus., 889 ; Coronella triangulum (part) Bonl., Z. c, II, 200.
Shorter than 0. d. triangulus; ventrals 175-203; subcaudals 36-49; length 950 mm.
The dorsal spots are less numerous, from 21-36 on the body and 6-10 on the tail: they are wider and end from the third to the first row of scales; the alternating spots are correspondingly lower and invade the ventials. The head markings are sometimes much as in triangulus but less distinct; there is usually an oval light patch surrounded by a black ring, in place of the triangular mark;
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELrill A. 73
this is sometimes more or less extended transversely, becoming a half-collar; this is the form called vollurk by Cope; often the ante- rior ring is represented l)y a black bar on the nape, and sometimes the ring is altogether absent and there is a light spot on each supraocular and another on the parietals, the rest of the head markings being more or less obsolete; this is teinporalls Cope, but the intermediate stages are so many that it is quite arbitrary to regard these patterns as distinctive. The spots range in color from brown to red. The oblique streak behind the eye is present. 0. d. clericus is a transitional form of great variability, and it is by no means always easy to distinguish it from 0. d. inamjulus on the one side and 0: d. doliatns on the other; but I find that on the whole, compared with triangidiis, it lias a greater width and lessened number of dorsal spots and a want of uefiuition in the head markings, associated with fewer ventrals and subcaudals; it may be distinguished from 0. d. doUatus by the fact that the latter lacks the oblique streak behind the eye and rarely shows any head markings beyond a dark bar or blotch across the parietals.
Hab. — This subspecies seems to occupy the southern portion of the range of 0. d. triangalus. I have seen no examples from further north than Trenton, N. J., and central Illinois.
OpMbolus doliatus doliatus L.
I. c, 379 ; 0. d. doliatus, 0. d. parallelus and 0. d. syspilus (part) Cope, /. c, 609, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 889-893 ; Coronella gentilis (part) Boul., I. c, II, 201.
Form short and stout in adults: temporals '2-2 (3); ventrals 200-210; subcaudals 44-55; length about 670 mm. (tail 100).
Grouud color grayish white or yellowish; dorsal spots brownish red, or red, Avith black borders; they are broad and reach to the first row of scales, often extending well on to the ventrals; the lateral spots are small and largely upon the ventrals, wholly so when the dorsals are Avidest. The belly is whitish or yellow with black blotches; the lower borders of the dorsal spots sometimes form nearly parallel black bands on the ventrals. The extreme of this disposition is parallelm Cope. The top of the head is some- times almost entirely black, but more usually this is reduced to a bar across the parietals, the rest of the head being red or yellow. The post-orbital stripe of the previous forms is absent.
I cannot find characters which will bear examination in syi^pilus
74 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
€ope. No. 3,609, Academy coll., from Hennessey, Oklahoma, collected and labeled sijqnlm by Cope himself, has more black upon the head than most 0. d. doliatus, while underneath, anteriorly, it has the paired ringi^ of 0. d. cocdneus, on the rest of the belly having parallel lines formed by the lower borders of the dorsal spots quite as close together as those attributed by him to jmral- lelus.
Hab.- -Maryland to Florida; west to Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas.
Ophibolus doliatus coccineus Schlegel.
Coronella coccinea Sch., Ess. Phys. Serp., II, fiT, PI. ? (1837); OjM- bolus doliatus and Osceola elapsoidea B. and G., I. c, 89, 133 ; Osce- ola elapsoidea and 0. d. coccineus Cope, I. c, 606, 609, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 900, 896; Coronella gentilis (part) and G. doliata (part) Boul., I. c, II, 201, 205.
Body rather more slender; temporals 1-2; ventrals 175-204; subcaudals 31-54; length 535 mm. (tail 70).
Body color scarlet, comj^letely encircled by pairs of black rings, with interspaces white in the young, yellow in adults; no lateral spots; belly paler than the back; top of head red, with the first black rings crossing the parietals. The pattern is formed by the obliteration of the lateral portion of the black borders of dorsal spots, and the extension of their transverse portion entirely around the body. The lateral spots have disappeared.
This subspecies seems to be adopting burrowing habits in portions of its range, and, as is frequent in such cases, the head plates and scales are becoming variable, specimens being found without a loreal and with the scales reduced to nineteen rows. This extreme reduction is Ot^ceola elapsoidea B. and G., and is not common, but intermediate stages are frequent; out of some thirty specimens colored as in coccineus, I have met but two without a loreal and with 19 rows. The case is peculiar. If constant the distinction would be a generic one ; on the other hand, the importance of the character involved would seem to lift it out of the ordinary cate- gory of intergradation, for we appear to have a subspecies being transformed into a genus under our eyes. On the whole, it may accord best with a sound method to take no note of this form at its present stage.
Hab. — North Carolina to Florida and west to the Mississippi river. Specimens without a loreal arc rarely found outside of Florida.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 75
Ophibolus doliatus gentilis 15- and G.
Ophiboliis gentilis B. and G., I. c, 90 ; 0. d. annnlatus, 0. d. syspibis (part), 0. a. gentili.^ anil O. multistratus Cope, I. c, 609, Gil; Coro- nella geniiiis (part) and G. micro})hoUs (part) Boul., I. e., 11,201, 203 ; LampropcUis innltistr<(tus and L. annulaius Stej., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1891, 502, 503 ; Osceola doliata gentilis, ((unulatris, sys- piliis (part) and Ophibolus multistratus Cope, liep. Nat. Mus., 894, 895, 909.
Body rather short iiud stout; temporals 2-2 (8); scales in 21 rows (occasionally 23); ventrals 184-200; subcaudals 42-50; length about 700 mm.
The black rings usually extend around the body as in 0. d. coccineus, and the colors are very similar, but the spaces between adjacent pairs of rings on the belly, opposite the red dorsal tracts, are more or less filled up by black ; the whole top of the head is usually black except the end of the snout, which is red. Some- times the scales in the yellow rings are marked with black, and often the black of the rings extends slong the dorsal line, forming a dusky band on the red spaces; when the black suffusion is want- ing we have anmdatm Kenn., but it exists in all degrees.
A small specimen from Fort Harker, Kaus. , in the Cope col- lection, referred by him to sypilm,-^ is .simply an immature gentilis.
0. multistratus Kenn. was founded on an individual from Ne- braska having 8 upper labials; 2.3 rows of scales; three temporals in the second row, dorsal spots with borders uniting on the flanks, and no rings nor spots on the belly. Mr. Stejneger reports a second specimen^ ^ with but seven labials. Twenty-three rows of scales; temporals 2-3; with a greater or less number of dorsal spots are not without precedent in 0. doliatus ; indeed, three out of five 0. d. gentilis which I have examined have three temporals in the second row. No. 3,613 Academy coll., from western Louisiana, is in com- pany with a gentilis lacking the dorsal suff^usion of black, and is exactly like it in all other respects, except that the belly is immacu- late and the dorsal spots close on the outer row of scales; cor. responding very closely to Kennicott's description of multiMratus, with the scutellation of gentilis. I see no reason, therefore, why the first should not be included within the range of this variable form; the same may be said of annulatus Kenn., the diflfereuces of which are trivial.
-" Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1888, p. 385. 2 1 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1891, p. 502.
76 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
The Mexican forms of Ophlbolns with rings are closely related to this section. Mr. Boulenger has indeed united all of them with annidatus, under the name of 0. micropholis Cope, and Dr. Gun- ther" has done the same, using the name annulatus.
The one specimen of micropholis, from Nicaragua, which I have seen, is certainly very like gentilis, and if the southern forms are to be united, as stated above, gentilis will probably have to be added, and that name will have priority.
Hab. — As here restricted, gentilis ranges from Nebraska to western Louisiana, Texas and northern Mexico.
Ophibolus getulus I-
Coluber getulus L., Syst. Nat., Ed. XII, 382 (1766).
Size large and stout; head not very distinct ; scales in 21-23 rows (occ. 25); oculars 1-2; upper labials 7: temporals 2-2 (3); anterior chin shields longest: tail rather more than one-seventh of the length; color black or brownish black; white or yellow mark- ings on separate scales, which frequently collect into lines across the back.
Hab.— The whole United States south of latitude 40°.
Key to the Subspecies.
a. — Scales in 21 or 23 rows:
Scales with yellow centres, often forming cross-bands,
l._ 0. g. sayi. Black with white or yellow cross-bands, bifurcating on sides,
2. 0. g. getulus. h. — Scales in 23 or 25 rows:
Black with white rings which widen on the sides,
3. 0. g. boylii. Black with many rings broken; short white stripes,
4. 0. g. calijornice,
Ophibolus getulus sayi Holbrook.
Coronella sai/i Holb., No. Am. Herp., Ill, 99, PI. XXII (1842); Op/u- bolus splendidus and 0. sayi B. and G., 83, 84 ; 0. g. sayi and 0. g. splcndidus Cope, I. c, (il2, 613, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 911 and 918 ; Coronella getula, (part) Boul., I. c, II, 197.
Dorsal rows of scales 21-23 (rarely 25); ventrals 200-224; subcaudals 40-60; length about 1,500 mm.
This form is exceedingly variable in pattern, but after examina- tion of many specimens from all parts of its range, both living
^^ Bio. Cent. Amer. Kept., p. 109, PI. 23.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF nilLADELPHIA. 7 7
and alcoholic, I atn not able to subdivide it. Typical sai/l is black, and has each scale with a white or yellow ccutre; the belly is yellow with black blotches and the head is black with small yellow spots. In many cases the body spots collect into narrow transverse bands, leaving considerable spaces black with more or less traces of the yellow spots; sometimes the lower seven or eight rows of scales are spotted, and above them, on the dorsal area, the spots collect into narrow bands connecting the spotted sides and leaving a series of black, unspotted tracts on the back, three or four scales long and seven or eight wide. This is splendidus B. and G. At the present time the collection of the Zoological Society contains examples of both of these and more or less inter- mediate stages, collected at the same time at Pecos, Tex. On the other hand, No. 4,451 Academy coll. is a very fair example of splendidus collected at Reelfoot Lake, Tenn., in 1895, by Mr. Samuel N. Khoads, and No. 3,585, from southern Illinois, clearly indicates the same pattern, which is therefore not associated with a restricted geographical area.
Hab. — Southern Illinois to Louisiana and through the southern portion of the plains to western Texas.
Ophibolus getulus getulus I-
Coluber getulus L., Syst. Nat., Ed. XII, 382 (1766); Ophibolus getulux B. and G., I. c, 85 ; 0. g. getulus ami 0. g. niger Cope, I. c, 613 ; Coronella getula (part) Boul., I. c, II, 197 ; 0. g. getulus Cope, Kep. Nat. Mus., 914.
Size larger than 0. g. sayi ; ventrals 210-224; subcaudals 40-53; reaches a length of 1,800 mm.
Black, crossed by transverse bands of white or pale yellow, one and a half or two scales wide, at intervals of from five to ten scales, generally bifurcating on the flanks and joining the anterior and posterior ones, thus forming a chain-like pattern enclosing a series of black dorsal blotches. An occasional Florida specimen has some scales in the black areas with light centres. Two speci- mens, one from Florida and one from Alabama, now in the Zoological Gardens, have narrow white bands crossing the back, in one at intervals of seven, and in the other of ten scales, without bifurcating. The belly is white or yellow, with black blotches: top of head black, nearly all the plates marked with Avhite or yellow; labials yellow, heavily margined with black. 0. g. niger
78 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
does not appear to me to be more than a melanistic condition, approaches to which occur in all subspecies of 0. getulus.
Hab. — Southern New Jersey to Florida and Louisiana; chiefly in the Atlantic States.
Ophibolus getulus boylii B. and G.
Ophiholus Boylii B. and G., I. c, 82 ; 0. [/. hoi/lii Cope, I. c, 613, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 919 ; Coronella getula (part) Boul., I. c, II, 197 ; Lampropeltis boylii Yan Den., I. c, 169.
Smaller than 0. g. sayl; scales in 23 rows (occ. 25); ventrals 218-255; subcaudals 46-60. The largest measurement given by Mr. Van Denburg is 1,089 mm. (tail 135).
The body is black or brownish, with rings of white or yellow about two scales wide on the back, which widen on the sides until they are wider than the black interspaces; sometimes the direction of the rings is oblique, so that on the belly and even on the back the ends alternate, instead of meeting; the top of the head is black with small light spots and the snout is white or yellow. One of two living specimens lately received from Yuma, Ariz., by courtesy of Mr. Herbert Brown, has the light bands only indicated by white spots on a few lateral scales, across the back there being no more than a brown shade on the deep black of the body color; the top of the head is wholly black, the lower labials white, heavily margined with black.
Hab. — Nevada, Arizona and California.
Ophibolus getulus californise Blainville.
Coluber ( Ophis) californicB Blain., Nouv. Ann. du Mus., 1835, 293 ; B. and G., I. c, 15;i ; 0. (j. californicB Cope, /. r., 614, and Rep. Nat. Mus , 922 ; Coronella getula (part) Boul., I. c, II, 197 ; Lampropeltis californicB Van Den., I. c, 172.
The relations of this snake to 0. g. boylii are uncertain, and it is quite possible that the specimens known are but abnormal color variations of that species; there are usually 23 rows of scales; oculars 1-2 (3); temporals 2-3; ventrals 226-236; subcaudals 50-58. The body is black or browni.sh with little constancy in the mai'kings; at times more or less of the white rings of boylii are present, but broken up and interspersed with short longitudinal white stripes, and according to Mr. Van Denburg, there is a white or yellow stripe or series of spots on the back; the head is colored as in boylii, and the belly is yellow or white, with or with- out black blotches.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF rillLADELnilA. 79
Mr. Van Denburg's largest specimen measured 391 mm. (tail 41).
Hab. — Southern California and Lower California.
Ophibolus zonatus Blainville.
Coluber {Zacholus) zonatus Blain., I. c, 293; Ophibolus jyyrrJiomelas Cope, I. c, 610, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 907 ; Coronella zonata BouL, I. c, II, 203 ; Lamj)ropcltis zonatus Van Den., I. c, 167.
Size rather smaller than boylll, body slender; scutellation gen- erally as in that form; oculars 1 (2)-2; upper labials 7 (6); temporals 2 (l)-3 (2); scales in 21-23 rows; ventrals 199-224; subcaudals 45-66. Length about 900 mm. (tail one-sixth).
The body is encircled by narrow white or yellow rings, between Avhich are black ones, which are more or less replaced or divided by red; all the rings are narrow, and the red is more pronounced anteriorly, being often altogether absent on the hinder part of the body; head yellow with a black baud across the middle and an- other on the nape.
Mr. Boulenger, as it appears to me rightly, has referred this species to zonatus of Blainville.
Hab. — Arizona and southern California.
Ophibolus rhombomaculatus Holbrook.
Coronella rhombomaculata, Holb., I. c, III, 103, PI. 23; 0. rJiomho- maculatus B. and G., I. c, 80 ; Cope, I. c., 610, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 903 ; Coronella calligaster (part) Bonl-, I. c, II, 198 ; Lampropeltis rhombomaculatus Stej., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1891, 503.
Size moderate; body cylindrical and rigid; oculars 1-2; tem- porals 2-3; upper labials 7; anterior chin shields longest; scales in 23-21 rows; ventrals 200-212; subcaudals 44-51.
Length 790 mm. (tail 110).
Body color pale brown, with a dorsal series of small dark brown blotches with indistinct black borders; these are about eight or nine scales wide and not more than two long, and may number as many as fifty on the body; the interspaces are wider than the spots; a series of irregular small blotches on the side, often alter- nating with the dorsals and reaching the ventrals, the lower end sometimes breaking ofi and forming a detached spot on the end of the ventrals; belly yellowish white clouded with pale brown; no head bands, nor spots on the nape; a narrow oblique streak behind the eye; labials whitish slightly margined with dark brown.
80 rROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jail.,
Hab. — From the District of Columl)ia to South Carohna and west to the Alleghenies. ISot common.
Ophibolus calligaster Harlan.
Coluber calligaster Harl., .Tour. Acad. Phila., 1827, 359 ; 0. calligas- ter Cope, I. c, 610, and Rep. Nat. Mus., i)05 ; Coronella calligaster (part) Boul., I. c, II, 198.
Larger than rhombomaculatus ; oculars 1-2; temporals 2-3; upper labials 7; anterior chin shields longest; scales in 25 rows; veutrals 198-210; subcaudals 41-65. Length 1,180 mm. (tail 165).
Body color pale grayish brown; a dorsal series of subquadrate blotches, dark brown with narrow black borders, two to three scales long, eight to ten wide, somewhat emarginate before and behind; the interspaces are about equal to the sjjots; a smaller alternating series on the sides, which often form irregular vertical bars, and a third on the outer row of scales and ends of the ventials; belly yellowish, with or without square black blotches on the centre. The head markings are sometimes verj' elaborate; in a beautiful specimen formerly in the collection of the Zoological Society, from Minnesota, the top of the head was yellowish, with a brown band across the prefrontals; an arrow-headed mark, brown with a black border, the base on the frontal and apex just behind the parietals; a brown spot on the hinder end of the supra- oculars and a faint dark oblique streak behind the eye. Labials yellow. An elongated brown blotch with black border, on each side, running back from the parietals ta the neck. The markings are, however, not always as distinct; a second living specimen, from Missouri, has the whole color darker, the lateral spots quite obscure, no dark blotches on the ventrals, and the head markings indistinct. The general aspect of this snake is very like rhom- homaculatm, but it has 25 rows of scales; the ground color is grayish brown ; the dorsal spots are less narrow, and the head bands almost always distinguish it at a glance.
Hab. — Indiana to Minnesota and southwest to Kansas and northern Texas. Has been once reported from central Ohio.
STILOSOMA A. E. Brown.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1890. 199 ; Cope, I. c, 595, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 924 ; Boul., I. c, II, 325.
Maxillary teeth small, smooth, subequal; body very slender and cylindrical; head not distinct; tail short; internasals frequently
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF I'HIEADELPHIA. 81
fused with pi'efroutals; one uasal; no loreal; preocular usually distinct; prefrontals and parietals in contact with labials; scales smooth without pits; anal entire.
Stilosoma extenuatum A. E. Brown.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1890, 199 ; Cope, I. c, 595, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 924; Boul., I. c, II, 325; Stejneger (fide Lcenuberg), Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1894, 323.
Maxillary teeth 10-11, about equal in size; mandibular teeth 12. Body very slender, its diameter contained about one hun- dred times in its length; snout rather prominent; head scales variable; of nine specimens which I have examined, six have the internasals fused with the prefi'ontals, one has a distinct internasal on one side; two have the preocular fused with the frontal; in all the loreal is absent and the prefrontals and parietals ai-e in contact with the labials; upper labials 6; third and fourth in orbit, fifth largest; lower labials, 5; post-oculars 2; temporals 1-1; 2 or 3 pairs of chin shields; scales smooth in 19 rows; ventrals 223- 260; subcaudals 33-40. Length 575 mm. (tail 50).
Body color silvery gray, with 60-70 irregular dark-brown dorsal spots with blackish border, on the body and about twelve on the tail; on the dorsal line the interspaces are mottled with pale red; belly blotched with black which extends on the sides and often breaks into lateral spots; on the sides the scales are finely punctu- lated with black; a dark patch on the parietals, with a smaller one on each side of the neck; a dark post-ocular streak ; forepart of head, chin and throat maculated with black.
Hab — Known only from Marion and Orange counties, Florida. CARPHOPHIS Genais.
Diet. d'Hist. Nat., Ill, 191 (1849) ; C'eluta B. and G., I. c, 129; Cnr- phopJnops Cope, I. c , 596, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 734 ; CarphopMs Boul, I. c, II, 321.
Maxillary teeth smooth, subequal; a loreal; internasals one, two or absent: one nasal; no preocular; scales smooth, without pits, in 13 rows; anal divided; size very small; head flat and not distinct.
Hab. — North America. CarphoMs amBaas Siy.
Coluber amcemis Say, Joiir. Acad. Phila., IV, 237 (1825) ; CeJuta amoina B. and G., I. c, 129 ; Cehita helcnce Kenu., Proc. Acad. Phila., 1859. 100 ; Carphophiops amcenus and C. vermis Cope, I. c, 596, 597 ; CarphopMs amcenus Boul., I. c, II, 324.
Head small and flat; internasals often absent; no preocular, 6
82 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.^
the loreal entering the orbit; post-ocular 1; temporals 1-1 (2); 13 rows of scales; ventrals 120-134; subcaudals 21-36.
Length 310 mm. (tail one-sixth).
Chestnut brown above, dark brown in adults: salmon color beneath.
AVestern specimens usually have but one temporal in the second row, and vary a trifle in the extension of the belly color on the sides; but as the species is a degraded and variable one, it does not seem necessary to regard them as distinct.
Hab. — NeAV England to Kansas and southward.
FAEANCIA Gray.
Zool. Misc., 68 (1842) ; B. and G., I. c, 123 ; Cope, I. c, G04, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 740; Boul., I. c. , II, 290.
Maxillary teeth smooth, subequal; one loreal; one internasal; one nasal half divided; no preocular; scales smooth, without pits, in 19 rows; anal divided; size moderately large; body cylindrical and rigid; head not very distinct.
Hab. — North America.
Farancia abacura Holbrook.
Coluher abacurus Holb., No. Am. Ilerp., I, 119, PI. 23 (183G) ; Farancia abacura B. and G., I. c, 123 ; Cope, I. c, 604, and Kep. NM- Mus., 741 ; Boul., I. c, II, 291.
Head small and hardly distinct from the body; one internasal ; one nasal, half divided; no preocular, the loreal and prefrontal entering the orbit; post-orbitals 2; temporals 1-2; upper labials 7; 19 rows of scales; ventrals 168-206; subcaudals 34-49. Or- dinary specimens are about 1,000 mm. long, but it reaches 1,400 (tail one-sixth to one-seventh).
Bluish black above with vertical red spots on the sides ; belly red in life.
Hab. — North Carolina to Louisiana; possibly in Virginia.
ABASTOR Gray.
Cat. Snakes Br. Mus., 78 ; B. and G., I. c, 125 ; Cope, /. c, 603 ; Boul., I. c, II, 289.
Maxillary teelh smooth, subequal; oue loreal; two internasals; one nasal, half divided below the nostril; no preocular; scales smooth, without pits, in 19 rows; anal divided; size moderate; head not distinct; body cylindrical and rigid.
Hab. — North America.
1901.] ^'ATUKAL SCIKN-CES OF PHILADKLI'IIIA. 83
Abastor erythrogrammus l>au<Iin.
C'olabcr cri/t/irof/ramjinis Ihnu]., Hist. des. Rept., 93, PI. 83 (1303) ; Abastor erythrof/ramrnus B. and G., l. c, 125; Cope, I. c, 603, and Rep. Nat. Mns., 738; BouL, I. c, II, 290.
Head scarcely larger than the body; two small mternasals; no preocular, the loreal and prefrontal entering orbit; post-oculars 2; temporals 1-2; upper labials 7; ventrals 157-185; subcaudals 37-55. Length 980 mm. (tail 130).
Bluish black above with three longitudinal red stripes; belly salmon color or reddish, with a series of bluish black spots on the ends of the ventrals; head dark, the plates sometimes with yellow margins; labials yellow, each with a dark spot.
Hab. — Xorth Carolina to the Gulf coast; found once in Vir- ginia by Prof. Cope.
VIRGINIA-' B.andG.
I. c, 127 ; Cope, I. c, 599, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 1006 ; Boul., I. c, IF,
288.
Maxillary teeth smooth, subequal; a loreal; two iuternasals; two nasals; no preocular; scales smooth, without pits, in 15-17 rows; anal divided; size small; head distinct.
Hab. — North America.
Scales in 15 rows; 2 preoculars, 1. V. valerice.
Scales in 17 rows; 1-3 preoculars, 2. V. elegans.
Virginia valeriae B. and G.
I c, 127 ; Cope, I. c, 599, and Eep. Nat. Mus., 1000 ; Boul., I. c, II,
289.
Head scales normal : oculars 2-2; temporals 1-2; upper labials 6; scales wide, in 15 rows; ventrals 115-127; subcaudals 25-37. Length 280 mm. (tail 40).
Yellowish or grayish brown, usually with small black dots form- ing longitudinal lines; belly dull yellow.
Hab. — Maryland west to the Mississippi; apparently not in Texas.
Virginia elegans Kcnnicott.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1859, p. 99 ; Cope, I. c, 599, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1007 ; Boul., l. c, II, 289.
Exactly like V. valerke, but the scales are narrower and in 17 rows and the post-oculars vary from one to three.
'''Prof. Cope places Virginut among the genera in which the dorsal hypapo- physes are continiied to the tail. This is certainly not the case iu one sp;,'ci- men of V- elegans which I have examined for this character.
SA PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jau.,
A specimen in my collection, from Bay St. Louis, ]Miss., 186 mm. long (tail 27), has seven upper labial.s on one side; veutrals 117; subcaudals 29.
Hab. — Southern Illinois to Texas.
FICIMIA Gray.
Cat. Snakes, 80 (1849); Gyalopium Cope, L c, 603, and Rep. Xat. Mus., 947 ; Ficimia BouL, I. c, II, 270.
Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; rostral enters between internasals and prefrontals, its upper border projecting; two internasals; one nasal, half divided, its anterior portion usually fused with the first labial; no loieal; one preocular; scales smooth, with pits, in 17 rows; anal divided; size moderate; head not very distinct.
Hab. — Southwestern United States and INIexico.
Ticimia cana Cope.
Gyalopium canum Cope, Proc. Acad. Pliilu., 1860, p. 243; I. c, 603, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 917 ; F. canaBoxA., I. c, II, 272.
Rostral pointed behind, not iu contact with the frontal; inter- nasals small; nasal fused with the first labial, with a groove down- ward and backward from the nostril; no loreal, prefrontals reaching labials; oculars 1-2; temporals 1-2; upper labials 7; scales in 17 rows; ventrals 130-131; subcaudals 28. Length about 205 mm. (tail 28).
Eeddish or yellowish, with brown, dark-edged cross-bands, about thirty in number, more or less broken into spots on the sides; belly yellowish white; a brown band across the head in front of the orbits, beginning on the labials, and another across the parietals.
Hab. — Western Texas to Arizona.
CHILOMENISCUS Cope.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860, 339 ; I. c, 593, and Rep. Xat. :\Ius., 948 ; BouL, I. c, II, 272.
Maxillary teeth smooth, subequal, the posterior sometimes a little enlarged; rostral prominent and separating llie internasals; no loreal; one nasal, fused with the iuternasal; one preocular; scales smooth, with pits, in 13 rows; anal divided; size small; head not distinct.
Hab. — Nevada to Sonora; Lower California.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 85
Proocular touchiug uasal ; black ci'oss-bauds on back,
1. C. ephi])picus. Preocular not touchiug uasal; black rings around body,
2. C. cincui». Chilomeniscus ephippicus Cope.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1875, 85 ; I. c, 594 ; Rep. Nat. Mns., 951 ; BouL, I. c, II, 273.
Head small with jiromhieut suout; scales in 18 rows; rostral just reaches the prefrontals; nasal elongated and touchiug the pre- ocular; oculars 1-2; temporals 1-1; upper labials 7; ventrals 109-113; subcaudals 22-28. Length 235' mm. (tail 30).
Yellow or red with a series of black cross-bands, the ends of which are rounded; on the tail they nearly form rings; the inter- spaces are quite as wide as the bauds; belly white; top of head black; snout red.
Hab. — Nevada and Arizona; probably southern California. Chilomeniscus cincWs Cope.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 18G1, 303 ; C stramineus cinctns Cope, I. c, 59t;
0. stramineus (part) Boul., I.e., 11, 273; C. cinctus Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 952.
Very similar to G. ephippicas, but the nasal is separated from the preocular by the prefrontals, which reach the labials. Color reddish white; body completely encircled by black rings which are narrower on the belly.
But three specimens are known, aud the full value of tne char- acters are in doubt.
Hab. — Lower California and southern Arizona.
CEMOPHORA Cope.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860, 244; I. c, 602, aad Rep. Nat. Mus., 938 ; Boul., I. c, II, 213 ; Rhinostoma B. and G., I. c, 118.
Maxillary teeth smooth, longer behind, no interspace; a loreal; one or two preoculars; one nasal, sometimes divided; rostral slightly projecting; scales smooth, with pits, in 19 rows; anal entire; size moderate; head not distinct.
Hab. — North America.
Cemophora coccinea Blumenbach.
Coluber coccineus Blum., Voigt's Ma^. of Phys., 1788, 11, PI. 1 ; IIM- nostoma coccinea B. aud G., I. c, 118; Cemophora coeci7iea Cope,
1. c, 603, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 938 ; Boul., I. c, II, 214.
Body slender; head not distinct; snout projecting; eye small; one nasal, half divided or double; loreal small; oculars 1 (2)-2
86 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [JtlU. ,
(1); temporal.s 1 (2)-2; upper labials 6 or 7; scales in 1!) rows; veutrals 156-188; subcaudals 35-45. Length 560 mm. (tail 80).
Back scarlet, crossed by pairs of black bands, each pair enclos- ing a whitish or yellow one about three scales wide; most scales in the yellow band are dotted with black; belly yellowish, un- marked; top of head red or yellow, with a black bar between the orbits.
Hab. — South Carolina :md Florida, west to the Mississippi.
RHINOCHILUS B. and O.
/. c, 120 ; Cope, l. c, 605, and Rep. Nat. Mas., 930 ; Boul., I. c, II, 212.
Maxillary teeth smooth, increasing posteriorly, no interspace; one loreal ; one or two preoculars; two interuasals; two nasals; rostral somewhat projecting; scales smooth, with pits, in 17-23 rows; anal entire; subcaudals usually entire; size medium; head slightly distinct.
Hab. — -North and South America.
Ehinochilus lecontii B. and G.
I. c, 120 : Cope, I. c, 606, and Rep. Nat. Mas., 931 ; Boul., I. c, II, 212; Van Den., I. c, 174.
Body moderately stout; head scales normal; one large pre- ocular, occasionally with a small one below; two post-oculars; tem- porals 2-3 (one in my collection has a small additional temporal in the first row on one side); upper labials 8; scales in 23 rows; ventrals 189-212; subcaudals 40-55, not divided. The largest I have seen, measured 965 mm. (tail 135).
There is a series of blotches on the back, alternating black and red or orange : the red ones nearly quadrate, the black ones transversely wider; on the sides, below the blotches, some scales are marked with black or yellow; belly white or yellow, with black blotches on the ends of some ventrals. A living specimen from Pecos, Tex., has twenty-seven brilliant scarlet blotches on the body and twelve on the tail; below the scarlet l)lotches each scale is yellow with a black centre, while on the corresponding por- tion of the black areas, which extend to the fourth row, each scale has a yellow centre; many of the scales in the outer rows are tinged with red. The snout in front of the frontal plate is red, behind that black, each scale marked with yellow, Lai)ials 3'ellow, all the upper ones posterior to the third, heavily margined
1901.] NATURAL SCIEXCES OF I'HILADELPHIA. 87
with black. A second specimen is very similar in color, but the bla<;k on the ends of the veutrals often runs up on the scales to about the fourth row.
According to Mr. Van Denburg, the spots on the back, which ordinarily are red, are at times white, but I have never myself seen such a specimen.
Hab. — Southwestern Kansas and western Texas to California.
HYPSIGLENA Cope.
Proc. Acad. Pliila., 18G0, 24G ; I. c, 617, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 953; Boul., I. c, II, 208,
Postei-ior maxillary teeth strongly enlarged, smooth, diacrau- terian; one loreal; two iuternasals; two nasals; vertical, elliptical pupil; scales smooth, with pits, in 19-21 rows; anal divided; size medium to small ; head distinct.
Hab. — ^N'orth and Central America. Hypsiglena ochrorhynclia Cope.
Proc. Acad. Pliila. , 1860, p. 246 ; I. c, 617, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 953 ; Boul., I. c, II, 209 ; II. chlorop7i(eu, II. ochrorhyncha and E. texana Stej., No. Am. Fauna, No. 7, 205.
Size small; body round; head distinct; head plates normal; 2 nasals; 1 loreal; 1 large preocular, with usually a small one below it; post-oculars 2; labials 8; temporals 1-2; scales in 21 rows; ventrals 168-187; subcaudals 40-55.
Length 320 mm. (tail 60).
Gray or yellowish, with a dorsal series of dark-brown blotches and two alternating series on each side; a dark stripe through each eye, running back to the nape, and a median one between them; upper surface of head and labials faintly dotted with brown; belly white.
The convexity of the head attributed to H. texana Stejn. appears to me abnormal, and the difference in the lateral head stripe is trivial.
Hab. — Texas to southei'n California; northern Mexico.
RHADINEA Cope.
Proc. Acad. Phila., 1863, 100, and Dromicus, I. c, 618; Liophis (part) and Rhadinea Boul., I. c. II, 127 and 160 ; Rhadinca Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 754.
Posterior maxillary teeth slightly lengthened, smooth, sometimes
a slight interspace ; one loreal; one preocular; two internasals; two
88 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
nasals; scales smooth, without pits, in 15-21 rows; anal divided; size very small ; head distinct.
Hab. — North and South America.
Rhadinea flavilata Cope.
Dromkns jhivilatus Cope, Proc. Acad. Phila., 1871, p. 322, and I. c, 618 ; Liophis -flnvilatns Boul., I. c, II, 143 ; RJiadinea flavilata Cope, Traus. Am. Phil. Soc., XVIII, 203 (1895), and Rep. Nat. Mus., 759.
Head slightly distinct; maxillary teeth 12-13, the last two enlarged and separated from the others by a slight interval ; man- dibular teeth 17, subequal; head plates normal; loreal obliquely quadrangular; nasal indistinctly divided above and below the nostril; one large preocular; two post-oculars, the lower one small; temporals 1-2; upper labials 7; lower labials 8; posterior chin shields longest and separated behind; scales in 17 rows, smooth, without pits; ventrals 126-129; subcaudals 66-77.
Length 270 mm. (tail 77).
Reddish brown above, somewhat lustrous in life, each scale finely dotted with dax'k brown; belly light yellow, invading the edges of the two outer rows of scales; top of head a little darker than the back and indistinctly vermiculated with light brown; a faint dark band from the rostral to the temporals, slightly bordered above with yellow and below with black; labials colored like the ventrals, the upper ones slightly spotted with dark brown. The foregoing description is taken from two living specimens, one from Florida and one from Bay St. Louis, Miss.
As none of the three examples of this rare snake Avhich I have examined, possess scale pits, it cannot be placed in Liophis, as is done by Boulenger, but falls into the section of Rhadinea with slightly diacranteriau dentition.
Hab. — North Carolina to Florida and Mississippi.
HETERODON Latieillc.
Hist, des Kept., IV., 33 (1800); B. and G., I. c, 51 ; I. c, Cope, 153, and Rep. Nat. 3Ius., 7G0; Boul., I. c, II., 153.
Posterior maxillary teeth much enlarged, smooth, an interspace; body stout; head long and shghtly distinct; snout short; rostral strongly projecting and recurved ; a small plate behind the rostral ; sometimes a number of small scales separating internasals and pre- frontals; eye surrounded by a circle of scales; 1 loreal; 2 nasals.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELrillA. 89
occasionally a small post-nasal below; scales keeled, with two pits, in 23-25 rows; anal divided.
Hab. — Norch America.
The "sand snakes," "hog-nosed snakes," or "blowing vipers," as they are variously called, are able to expand and flatten the anterior portion of the body when alarmed, and thereby to assume a threatening aspect, as in the cobras, but they are abso- lutely harmless.
Key to the Species.
a. — Rostral narrower than space between eyes: No scales between prefrontals; size larger,
1. H. platyrhlnns. Prefrontals separated by scales; size smaller, 2. B. simus. b. — Rostral as broad as space between eyes:
Prefrontals and interuasals separated by scales,
3. H. nasicus.
Heterodon platyrhinus Latreillo.
I. c. 32 ; R. plati/rhinos, IT. cognatus, H. nujer and //. atmodes B. and G., I. c, 51-57 ; //. plnty'r/unus Cope, I. c, 643, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 761; BouL, I. c, II, 151.
Largest of the genus; maxillary teeth 11-12, the last two much enlarged and separated by a wide interval; 1, sometimes 2, small azygous plates behind the rostral, separating internasals; usually without small plates between the prefrontals; frontal a little longer than broad; 9-11 scales in the orbital ring, in addition to the supraoculars; upper labials 8 (9); temporals 4 (3)-5; 1 jtair of chin shields; scales usually in 25 rows (occ. 23); ventrals 120- 150; subcaudals 37-60. Length 810 mm. (tail 153).
Color variable, sometimes entirely black above; usually brown, reddish brown or yellow, with a dorsal series of dark brown or black spots, separated by narrow interspaces, one and a half or two scales wide ; a lateral alternating series of small dark blotches, and sometimes ti'aces of a third; belly greenish white, yellowish or reddish, often clouded with dusky; two dark blotches on the nape, a band across the prefrontals and an oblique streak behind the eye.
Hab. — New Jersey west to the Missouri river, and south to Florida and Texas.
DO rROCEEDIXGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.,
Heterodon simus I--
Coluber simus L., S3'st. Xat., Ed. XII, 375 ; II. simus 1]. and G., I. c, 59 ; Cope, I. c, (313, and Rep. Xat. Mus., 770; Boul., I. c, II, 156.
Smaller than ^)/a^^/7ti/io.s; snout oioderate; maxillary teeth 10- 11; 8 to 9 scales, in addition to the azygous plate separating the internasals and prefrontals; frequently a small subpost-uasal; frontal as broad as long; 10-11 scales in orbital ring; labials 8; temporals small ; 1 pair of chin shields; scales in 25 rows (rarely 27); veutrals 114-134; subcaudals 30-55. Length 400 mm. (tail 90).
Color usually grayish or yellowish brown, with the dorsal series of spots blackish brown, separated by narrow interspaces usually tinged with yellow; one or two series of small blackish blotches on the sides; belly white or yellow, more or less cbuded with dusky; two dark blotches on the nape, parietals blackish, the bar on pre- frontals and post-ocular streak present. Tn some color phases this form resembles both of the other species ; but may always be known from jilatyrhimis by the small plates behind the rostral being from 4-10, instead of one or two; and from yia^icus by the presence of two more scale rows and a much lighter abdomen.
Hab. — Georgia and Florida to the Mississippi.
Heterodon nasicus B. and G.
I. r., 61 ; II. n. nasicus and //. n. Kennerlyi, Cope, I. c, 641, and Rep. Xat. Mus., 712, 773; II. nasicus Boul., I. c, II, 156.
Snout very short and much recurved ; maxillary teeth 8-10; azygous plates as in slintis, sometimes 20 or more; 10-11 scales in orbital ring; as a rule no inferior post-nasal; sometimes an addi- tional loreal; upper labials 8; 1 pair of chin shields; scales in 23 rows; ventrals 128-146; subcaudals 32-45 (a specimen in my col- lection has one or two subcaudals undivided). The largest I have seen, came from Pecos, Tex., and measured 610 mm. (tail 78); another, 555 mm. (tail 100).
Grayish brown, sometimes yellow on the back; a doi'sal and two lateral rows of spots, usually smaller than in sbnm and often not distinct, sometimes the dorsal spots are only indiciated by a darker shade; the belly is whitish with black blotches, usually entirely black in the centre; three elongated black blotches on the nape; an oblique streak behind the eye; a narrow band across the frontal 4vnd another on the prefrontals; parietals blackish.
Ilab. — ^Fontana to Texas and Arizona; northern Mexico.
1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PIIILADELPIIIA. 91
TRIMORPHODON Cope.
Proc. Acad. Phila.. 1861, 297 ; I. c, 678, ami Rep. Nat. Mus., 1101 ; Boul., I. c, III. 53.
Posterior maxillary teeth elongated, grooved and separated by au interval; anterior teeth elongated; 2 loreals; 1 or 2 preoculars ; 2 interuasals; 2 nasals; pupil vertical; scales smooth, with pits, in 21-27 rows; anal divided; size medium.
Hab. — North America and JNIexico.
Trimorphodon lyrophanes Cope.
I. c, 297 ; I. c, 679, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1102 ; Boul., I. c, III, 56.
Seven maxillaiy teeth; head distinct; head plates normal; 2 loreals, one in front of the other; 2 preoculars, usually a small subocular; 3 post-oculars; labials 9; scales in 21 rows; veutrals 236; subcaudals 70. Length 710 mm. (tail 110).
Light gray; deep brown spots, in pairs, on the back (21 pairs iu the type specimen); an irregular series of lateral spots; belly white, with small dark spots on the ends of some ventrals; head light gray, banded with darker.
Hab. — Arizona and Lower California.
SIBON Fitzinger.
Neue Class Rapt., 29 (1826) ; Cope, I. c, 670, aufi Rep. Nat. Mus., 1106; Leptodira (part) Boul., I. c, III, 88.
Posterior maxillary teeth elongated, grooved and separated by an interspace; 1 loreal; 1 to 3 preoculars; 2 nasals; 2 iuternasals; pupil vertical; scales smooth, with pits, in 19-25 rows; anal divided; size moderate.
Hab. — North and South America.
Cope appears to be justified in separating the American species with divided anal, from the Asiatic with single anal; Leptodira Gunther having included both, au arrangement which is followed by Boulenger.
Sibon septentrionalis Kennicott.
Dipsas septentrionalis Kenn.. U. S. Mex. Bound. Surv., II, 16, PI. 8, fig. I ; Sibon septentrionale Cope, I. c, 678, and Rep. Nat. Mus., 1107 ; Leptodira septentrionalis Boul., I. c, III, 93.
Head very distinct; body tapering; head scales normal; 3 preoculars, the lower one very small; pcst-oculars 2; temporals 1-2; labials 8; scales in 21-23 rows; ventrals 194; subcaudals "65-72. Length 750 mm. (tail about one-fifth).
92 PROCKEDIXGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jau.,
Grayish or yellow above, Avith dark-brown saddle-shaped spots, six or eight scales long and nearly reaching the ventrals; belly yellowish; top of head and part of the upper labials light brown with blackish markings; an indistinct pale band aci'oss the nape.
Hab. — Texas to Arizona ; northern Mexico.
ERYTHROLAMPRUS Waglcr.
Syst. Araph., 187(1830) ; Cope, I. c, 676 ; B3ul., I. c, III, 199 ; Conio- phanes Cope, Rep. Nat. Mus., 1096.
Posterior maxillary teeth elongated, grooved and separated by an interspace; 1 loreal; 1 or 2 preoculars; 2