254 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ACADEMY OP 



rals, the sixth, seventh and half the eight upper labials. All the head anterior 

 to this is lustrous black, except a narrow oral border of yellow. Chin 

 immaculate. Many of the scales of the body are tipped with brown, many 

 with black. 



This beautiful species resembles in the distribution of its colors certain 

 Elapses particularly decoratus and Dumerilii. It is a beautiful 

 example of analogy of coloring. We have four specimens, one adult, one half 

 grown, and two young, which were obtained through the liberality of John 

 Cassin, Esq., from Sr. R. M. De Oca who collected them near Jalapa, Mexico. 



Lampropeltis Fitzinger. Type L. S a y i . 



Systema Reptilium, 1843, p. 25, et Sphenophis ead. loc. OphiboJus Baird and 

 Girard, Catal. Serp. Smiths. Inst. 1852, p. 82. Coluber, Pseudoeryx, Coronella et 

 Ablabes sp. auctorum. 



This group was first defined, and its species enumerated by Profs. Baird and 

 Girard, in their "Catalogue." In structural peculiarities it fulfils all the 

 requisites of a strictly natural group. It represents in America the Coronella 

 of the Old World, from which it differs in possessing an undivided postab- 

 dominal scutella, and a peculiar form of posterior upper maxillary teeth . 

 These are closely set, stout, much compressed and trenchant, with their 

 anterior borders rather abraptly curved backwards. It also approaches 

 Erythrolamprus, which may be distinguished by the grooved superior maxilla- 

 ries, and divided postabdominal scutella. In geographical range it extends from 

 Maine (L. t r i a n g u 1 a) to Panama (L. micropholis.) 



In the Neue Classification der Reptilien of Fitzinger, (1826) p. 55, we find 

 that the seventh genus of the nineteenth family of that author, Colubroidea, 

 is Pseudoeryx Fitz. There are seven species enumerated, and the Coluber 

 doliatusof Linne is the first. Where there is no possibility of ascertaining 

 what species an author assigns as the type of his genus, it is the practice of 

 naturalists to regard as such that which stands first in his enumeration. 

 Adopting that rule in the present instance, we should have to employ Pseu- 

 doeryx in place of Lampropeltis of later date a substitution by no means to 

 be desired. Fortunately, however, we believe that Fitzinger did indicate with 

 sufficient olearness what type of form he intended to characterize. On page 

 29 of the same work he thus characterizes Pseudoeryx : " Abdomen scutatum. 

 Cauda non oompressa. Oculi verticale*. Rostrum rotundatum." Thisdignosis 

 at once shows that he considered the third* species on the list P. D a u d i n i i 

 (Dimades plioatilis Gray, ) as the true representative of the genus ; and for 

 it, the name Pseudoeryx is not inappropriate. This supposition is confirmed 

 by the fact that in his Systema Reptilium, published in 1843, hejretains the 

 genus, and distinotly assigns P. plioatilis as the type. 



120. L. Sayi nobis. Herpelodryas getulus Schlegel, Essai, ii. p. 198, 1837, 

 (not Col. getulus Linn). Lampropeltis getulus Fitz. 1. c. Coluber Sayi 

 Dekay, New York Fauna, Reptiles, 41, 1842. 



Coronella Sayi Holbr. N. Amer. Herp. iii. p. 99, 1842. Dum. Bibr. vii. p. 

 619, 1853. Gunther Cat. Brit. Mus. p. 41, 1858. Ophibolus Sayi Bd. & Grd. 

 Catal. p. 71, 1852. 



Two spec. ? ? 



One " Louisiana, Dr. Hallowell. 



One " ? Dr. Bache. 



One " (half grown) Missouri, Gard. of Plants in ex. (as 



Herpetodryas getulus). 

 Two "(young) ? Dr. Hammond. 



* The diagnosis is equally applicable to the second species P. pyrrhogrammus, 

 if that be the Col. erythrograra musofDaudin. The fifth species is P. schistosus, 

 a la homalopsides. 



[June, 



