BRANSON : SNAKES'OF KANSAS. 413 



their presence in large numbers in grain-fields, where insects 

 are very abundant. 



The young of this species are spotted. The ground color 

 above is dark olive with a dorsal series of dark rhomboidal 

 spots. Two rows of small dark spots on each side. Two to 

 four reddish spots on each gastrostege. The outer spots cover 

 the end of the gastrosteges, but a gastrostege usually has only 

 one end thus covered, the opposite ends of adjoining plates be- 

 ing immaculate. The spots next the end spots are plano-convex 

 and smaller. The head is marked like that of the adult. 



I have examined specimens from Mitchell, Ellis, Scott, Re- 

 public, Logan, Cloud, Gove, Brown, Riley, Lyon, Franklin, 

 Wallace, Shawnee, Douglas and Jefferson counties. It has been 

 reported from Stanton, Montgomery, Miami, Harvey, Neosho, 

 Greenwood, Osborne, Sherman, Phillips and Pottawatomie coun- 

 ties. 



TANTILLA Baird and Girard. 



TantiUa Baird and Girard, Cat. N. Amer. Rept., Pt. I, Serp., 1853, p. 131. 

 Homalocrauium Dumeril and Bibron, Mem. Acad. Sci., XXIII, 1853, p. 490. 



The generic description and the description of gracilis here 

 given are taken from Cope's "Crocodilians, Lizards, and 

 Snakes," 1110-1112. 



Head depressed, continuous with body. Cephalic plates 

 normal. Internasals and postfrontals two each. Posterior 

 maxillary tooth grooved. Two nasals, nostrils in the anterior 

 plate. No loreal. Anterior orbital one ; posterior one or two. 

 Eyes below the medium size. Body subcylindrical ; tail short. 

 Scales smooth. Postabdominal scutella bifid. Subcaudals all 

 aivided. 



KEY TO KANSAS SPECIES. 



Upper labialB seven ; head black T. nigriceps. 



Upper labials six T. gracilis. 



Tantilla gracilis Baird and Girard. 

 Graceful Tantilla, 



Tantilla gracilis Baird and Girard, Cat. N. Amer, Rept,, Pt. I, Serp., 1853, 



p, 132. 

 Homalocranium gracile Bocourt, Mies. Sci. Mex. Rept., 1853, p. 579. 

 Tantilla halloiveUii Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, p. 77, 



Anterior and postorbitals one each. Color uniform greenish 

 brown above, lighter beneath ; head darker. 



