1856.] 247 



f.han the others ; color light brown or olive above, lighter beneath, approaching to 

 white, a narrow dark colored line along the middle of the back, commencing at 

 the occiput; head of a darker brown than the rest of body; ab. scut. 130 ; one 

 single praeanal and 42 bifid sub-caud. 



Dimensions. Length of head 3 lines ; greatest breadth 2 ; length of neck and 

 body 5 inches ; of tail 1 inch 6J lines ; total length 6 inches 9;^, lines. 



Habitat. Kansas. 



Gen. Remarks. This serpent corresponds very closely with Tantilla of 

 Baird and Girard, and may be their Tantilla gracilis, which, however, wants 

 the vertebral line. In their species the posterior frontal do not come in contact 

 with the labials and the vertical plate is represented as anteriorly acute. Tbe 

 number of rows of smooth scales, of orbitar plates and abdominal and sub-caudal 

 scutes agree very well, there being 129 of the former and 45 of the latter. 



We do not find, however, that the inferior row of scales is considerably broader 

 than the others, if indeed so broad as the row above it. 



Habitat. Indianola. 



CORONELLA LAURBNTI, 1768. 



Char. " Serpents with posterior superior maxillary teeth longer and on the same 

 line with the others, without interval ; trunk elongated ; scales smooth ; snout 

 rounded and but little elongated." D. & B. 



CORONELLA DOLIATA, var. 



There is one specimen of Coronella doliata, one foot three inches in length ; 

 and two specimens resembling the Calamaria elapsoidea of Holbrook, which ap- 

 pear to be the young of the former. They do not belong to the genus Calamaria, 

 which has but one nasal plate and no frenal, elapsoidea having no frenal and 

 the nostril between two plates. We have also in the collection of the Academy 

 a specimen marked elapsoidea from the Creek boundary, which, however, has a 

 loral plate and is no doubt a young coronella. The following notes may charac- 

 terize suflBciently these specimens: Cor. doliata, adult. Head resemblicg that of 

 Elaps ; vertical (frontal) plate a little longer than broad ; two lines in breadth ; 

 occipitals short ; pre-frontals (posterior frontals) much larger than the inter- 

 nasals (ant. frontals) ; nostrils between two plates ; a small and narrow frenal ; 

 one anterior and two posterior oculars, seven superior labials, the eye resting on 

 the third and fourth ; 21 rows of smooth, quadrangular, elongated scales ; tail 

 short, 3 inches 3 lines in length. Abdom. scut. 200; one single prasanal ; 52 

 subcaudal. 



Coloration. Twenty-nine red spots upon the back, bordered with black ; in- 

 terspaces between the black bands white ; the red spots are for the most part 

 more narrow in the middle, more extended laterally ; the black bands occasional- 

 ly almost touching each other; the black bands coalesce with black, gub-quad- 

 rate spots upon the abdomen, having other black spots intermediate; a black, 

 transverse band across the occipital plates ; a few black spots upon the upper 

 labials ; ground colour below light yellow ; the black bands upon the back are 

 from two to two and a half lines measured longitudinally, being about thrice 

 the dimensions of those of a specimen from Delaware. The red spots or trans- 

 verse bands occupy from two to two and a half rows of scales, as do also the 

 black bands upon the margins. In the specimen from Delaware the red spots 

 occupy a much greater space, the first comprising 11 rows of scales, butC in the 

 Kansas specimen ; the second six, in the Kansas specimen three, and the black 

 margins are also much more narrow, occupying IJ rows of scales ; the black 

 tesselated markings upon the abdomen also differ, and the alternate black spots 

 are not seen except towards the tail ; the snout is more acute, and the number 

 of rows of scales is less, viz.: 19. Ab. scuta 18G ; one single praeanal ; and 42 

 sub-caudal. 



In the specimens of Ophibolus gracilis, B. and G., the anterior black rin2;3 

 so extend as to cover the whole head above, except the very tips ; in other speci- 

 mens the black rings run into each other. In another there were only 21 pairs 



