370 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



brown. Belly dirty yellowish. The length and number of gastrosteges of our 

 specimen cannot be given, owing to it3 mutilated condition. Urosteges 58, the 

 tail terminating in a rather long corneous appendage. 



Habitat. Buena Vista, Mexico. Lieut. Couch. Mus. Smithsonian. 



This genus is intermediate in structure between Rhinechis " Coluber " Gthr. 

 and Pityophis. It has not the four postfrontals of the last, nor the divided anal 

 shield of the first two. In form, the rostral plate is intermediate between 

 those of "Coluber" and Pityophis. The present species is nearly allied 

 to the A. pleurosticta Cope, (Elaphis pleurostictus Dum. & Bibr.) of 

 Uraguay. Named in honor of Prof. Jan, of Milan, a distinguished herpetolo- 

 gist. 



Dsomicus temporalis Cope. 



Scales in seventeen longitudinal rows. Head distinct, eyes small, anterior; 

 muzzle short. Mouth very inferior. Rostral plate prominent, but barely visi- 

 ble from above : prefrontals small : vertical broad, presenting an obtuse 

 angle anteriorly, one less than a right angle posteriorly, the superciliary bor- 

 ders nearly parallel. Occipitals well developed, each bounded by three large, 

 and two small temporals. Postnasal vertical, crescentic ; loreal confluent with 

 the preocular, (probably not a constant character); postoculars two on one 

 side, one on the other. Superior labials seven, third and fourth entering the 

 orbit. Inferior labials eight, fifth largest, seventh twice the size of the sixth, 

 geneial pairs equal. Gastrosteges 167, a divided anal ; (tail mutilated). Length 

 of head and body seventeen inches. 



Coloration. Above, chocolate brown. A narrow yellow band with a broad 

 blackish superior border extends from the throat to the vent, along the suture 

 of the first and second rows of scales. The greater part of the first row, and 

 the ends of the gastrosteges are involved in a blackish plumbeous band which 

 extends from the throat to the vent : the central third of each scale of the fifth 

 row on each side is brownish-yellow, the upper and lower thirds blackish ; 

 thus is formed a narrow black-edged band, which extends from the 

 throat to the end of the tail A yellow band extends from the superior 

 border of the first upper labial, crosses the lower halves of the posterior 

 labials, and widening, extends upwards upon the temples and neck, forming 

 apparently the rudiments of a collar. Throat and belly saffron yellow. 



Habitat. Probably Cuba. 



Mus. Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. 



Amasteididm Cope. 



Body cylindrical, elongate; tail moderate, slender. Head distinct, broad, 

 short, tapering rather abruptly. Superior maxillary teeth in a coctinuous 

 series, the last abruptly the longest, not grooved'. Pupil round. Top of 

 head flat, separated on the muzzle from the sides, by an angle. Superciliaries 

 prominent. One anterior, two postoculars. Loreal none. Nasals large, one or 

 two, the nostril situated in the centre of the anterior. Scales on the posterior 

 parts of the body, slightly keeled. Anal and subcaudal scutella divided. 



This genus differs from Coronella Law. in the short, depressed, angular 

 head, and the absence of the loreal plate. The form of the head somewhat re- 

 sembles Xenodon, but the form of the body, the plating and dentition, are dif- 

 ferent. 



A. VELIFERDM Cope. 



Scales in seventeen longitudinal rows, smooth on the anterior half of the 

 body : posteriorly a few dorsal rows with faint keels, becoming stronger toward 

 the tail, and extending on all the scales near the anal region. Here they are 

 tuberculous, as in Aspidura trachyprocta nobis. Tail nearly one-third 

 the total length. Occipital plates large, almost reaching the labials in front, 

 posteriorly accuminate ; vertical long, acute behind ; superciliaries large, promi- 



[Sept. 



