LEPTOPHIS SAURITUS. 23 



certain light appears to be brown, often tinged with olive, and marked with three 

 longitudinal lines. The vertebral one begins between the occipital plates, is of pale 

 greenish-yellow, and becomes obsolete an inch or two from the tail; this hne 

 occupies the vertebral scale, and the half of one scale on each side, and has a 

 straio-ht border throughout its Avhoie extent. The lateral lines or bands are 

 broader, more or less distinct, including two scales or more, with margins less 

 reo-ular; they are of dirty yellowish-white, tinged with greenj on each side of 

 these lines are dusky or black small rhomboidal spots, sometimes arranged in a 

 row. The abdomen is shining milky white, with a tinge of green. The tail is 

 coloured like the body, but the lateral lines only continue for a short distance 

 behind the vent. 



Ddiensions, Length of head 10 lines; length of body, 23 inches; length of tail, 

 12 inches: total length, 35 inches 10 lines. This animal at times reaches the 

 length of nearly four feet; in general, however, they are found between two and 

 three feet long. In the specimen here described, there were 165 abdominal plates, 

 and 117 sub-caudal scales; but this number is by no means constant, as I have 

 seen by comparing several animals — among others the following, now in the 

 Museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences at Philadelphia: 



1. A specimen from Missouri, given by Mr. Eckhart: abominal plates, 156; 

 sub-caudal scales, 121. — 2. One from Pennsylvania, by Dr. Allison: abdominal 

 plates, 150; sub-caudal scales, 112. — 3. One from Delaware, by Dr. Green: 

 abdominal plates, 156; sub-caudal scales, 93; tail imperfect. — 4. One from Key 

 West: abdominal plates, 160; sub-caudal scales, 125. — 5. One from South 

 Carolina: abdominal plates, 147; sub-caudal scales, 117. 



Geographical Distribution. The Leptophis sauritus has a widge range. I 

 have seen it in most of the states from Maine to Georgia; and have received 

 specimens from Louisiana, Arkansas and the far west; and, if I am correct in 

 supposing this animal identical with the Coluber proximus of Say, which I doubt 

 not, then does it reach the very foot of the Rocky Mountains. It only diflers 



