ON THE BATRACHIA AND REPTILIA OF COSTA RICA. 131 



orbit. Superior labials eight, fifth and sixth bounding orbit, the sixth the longest, 

 the seventh the widest plate, the four anterior higher than wide. Temporals 1-2. 

 Inferior labials seven, four anterior smallest. Three pairs of geneials, two poste- 

 rior pairs short, wide. 



The colors of this species have been somewhat injured by spirits. The belly 

 is yellow, with brown cross-bands on the anterior part of the body, the posterior 

 part with large alternating brown spots. Back, at some points at least, crossed by 

 continuations of the same. Throat and lips brown spotted. Urosteges 121. 



This species differs from the last in the arrangement of the head plates both 

 superior and inferior, as well as in the coloration. 



72. Leptognathus nebulata, Linn. 

 The dark colored variety. 



73. Dipsas gemmistratus, Cope, Proceed. Academy Philadelphia, 1861, p. 296 : Van Patten. 



74. Dipsas oenchoa, Linn.* 



75. Sibon anndlatum, Linn. 



With twenty-one rows of scales. From Old Harbor. 



76. Oxyrriiopus plumbeus, Wied. Brachyrhyton plumbeum, Dum. Bibr. 



I had occasion to observe on a former occasion that this species is a devourer 

 of snakes, having received a specimen from Martinique which had swallowed the 

 head and part of the body of a fer de lance (Bothrops lanceolatus). The present 

 collection contains a specimen of m. 1.950 in length which had swallowed a Her- 



* Trimorphodon collaris, Cope, sp. nov. 



Scales in twenty-three longitudinal rows; posterior geneials very short, separated by an 

 intervening scale. Superior labials nine, fourth and fifth entering orbit. Loreals three ; oculars 

 3-3 ; temporals 3^3-4-5. Head short and wide ; intemasal plates small ; frontal in contact with 

 superior preocular, and about as long as occipitals. 



Body compressed, tail one-fifth the total. Ground color white (or ? yellow), crossed by six- 

 teen black spots on the body in the type specimen (No. 148). The anterior three or four of these 

 are longitudinally extended (the third, eleven scales long); the others are transverse diamond- 

 shaped, the lateral apices extending well on the gastrosteges. Each is divided transversely by a 

 narrow white line. Between each pair of spots is a small black spot on the border of the gastro- 

 steges. Middle line of belly unspotted. Head black above, muzzle and lips yellow ; a large 

 projection of the yellow collar occupies a space on each side of the common parietal suture. 



Orizaba, Vera Cruz ; Dr. Sumichrast. 



After examination of a large number of specimens of the genus Trimorphodon, Cope, I can 

 recognize five species, viz.: T. tau, Cope; T.upsilon, Cope; T. collaris, Cope; T.lyrophanes, 

 Cope, and T. biscutalus, Dum. Bibr. The last-named authors describe the T. bisculatus as having 

 twenty-three series of scales, and I therefore on a previous occasion regarded it as unknown to me, 

 and named the most common species of Central America and Mexico as T. major. I believe, 

 however, that the latter is most probably the species of Dumdril and Bibron, and that the number 

 of scales given by those authors is not correct, as I find twenty-five and twenty-seven rows in the 

 numerous specimens at my disposal. 



