330 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



A small specimen from Brownsville, Texas, (No. 1855), with twenty-one 

 pairs of black rings from head to anus, has the yellow rings rather wider on 

 the abdomen, though not two scales wide on the first dorsal row, and the 

 black rings distinct ; the enclosed abdominal intervals are only black along 

 the middle. Otherwise similar to the above. 



SCOTOPHIS Baird & Girard. 

 S. obsoletus Kennicott. Coluber obsoletus Say, in Long's Exped. Rocky 

 Mountains, i. p. 140, 1823 ; not Coluber obsoletus "Say," Holbrook, Am. 

 Herp. iii. 1842, p. 61. 

 Spec. char. Head broad behind, tapering anteriorly, snout more pointed 

 than in S. Allegheniensis. Head much more elevated anteriorly. Na- 

 sals, loral, anteorbital, and anterior upper labials elevated. Vertical large 

 anteriorly, nearly as broad as long. Superciliaries and occipitals large. Scales 

 in twenty-five or seven rows, the central ones moderately carinated. Color 

 above entirely black, with a slight bluish olive tinge. Upon stretching the 

 skin, the spaces between the scales seem to be red. Abdomen light bluish 

 slate posteriorly ; anteriorly, yellowish, clouded with bluish slate, lighter than 

 inS. Allegheniensis. 



Deter. This species resembles S. Allegheniensis very closely, ren- 

 dering a comparative description necessary. Head broad behind, more elon- 

 gate and elevated in front than in S. Allegheniensis, hence the occipitals 

 are larger, and the nasals, loral, preocular, and anterior upper labials are 

 more elevated. The anterior frontals are smaller, though the external poste- 

 rior angles are more elongated ; the anteorbital is narrower. Posterior orbi- 

 tals rather larger ; vertical large, anterior breadth nearly equal to the length. 

 Pour or five external rows of scales smooth, the first largest, with the scales 

 less obtuse than in S. Allegheniensis. The head and entire upper 

 parts are uniform black, not pitchy as in S. Allegheniensis, but with a 

 slight tinge of olivaceous or brown. Upon stretching the skin the spaces be- 

 tween the scales and sometimes the covered bases of the latter are seen to be 

 of a bright reddish brown on the sides, and in bars across the back, enclosing 

 a vertebral series of pure black spaces which are analogous to the dorsal spots 

 sometimes seen in S. Allegheniensis. No trace of these markings is to 

 be seen in our specimens of the present species without stretching the skin, 

 though one of them is but about three feet in length. 



The abdomen is much lighter than in S. Allegheniensis; the posterior 

 space occupied by the light bluish slate color is less. Along the middle third 

 it is yellowish, heavily clouded with bluish slate, and anteriorly it is yellow, 

 with irregular clouded spots of bluish slate along the sides. These anterior 

 markings are much smaller than in Allegheniensis, and never in large 

 square blotches as in that species. 



Though so closely allied to Allegheniensis as not to be readily dis- 

 tinguished by absolute characters, except in the red spaces between the scales, 

 the differences in the form of the head, and generally lighter colors, will be 

 apparent at once upon comparison. 



Independence, Mo. Dr. J. G. Cooper. 



EUTiENIA Baird & Girard. 

 E. megalops Kennicott. 



Spec. char. Form shorter and stouter, with proportionally shorter tail than 

 in E. proxima, which this species resembles. Tail one-fourth of the total 

 length. Eye very large, greater than in E. proxima. First dorsal row of 

 scales broader, each scale as high as long, and less strongly carinate. Dorsal 

 stripe narrow, covering one and less than two half rows of scales. Color 

 uniform brownish ash, with the three longitudinal stripes whitish yellow. 

 Head olive ash. 



Descr. Color uniform dull brownish ash or clay color, with the dorsal and 



[Aug. 



