FARANCIA. 123 



Genus FARAI¥CIA, Gray. 



Gen. Char. Head subelliptical, elongated, slightly distinct from 

 the body. Prefrontal plate single. One nasal, grooved beneath the 

 nostril. No anteorbital ; postfrontal and loral constituting the an- 

 terior portion of the orbit. Two postorbitals. Eyes rather small. 

 Scales smooth. Postabdominal scutella bifid. Subcaudal in pairs. 



Syn, '^arancia, Gray, Zool. Misc. 1842, 68 ; and Catal. of 

 Snakes in Brit. Mus. 1849, 74. 



Farancia abacurus, B. & G.— Body and head above bluish black, 

 with subquadrate red spots on the flanks. Abdomen red, with transverse 

 or alternating bluish black irregular spots. Dorsal scales disposed in 19 

 rows. » 



Syn. Coluber abacurus, Holbr. N. Amer. Herp. I, 1836, 119. PI. xxiii. 

 Homalopsis Reimvardtii, Schl. Ess. Phys. Serp. Part, descr. 1837, 357. 

 Hydrops Reimvardtii, Gray, Zool. Misc. 1842, 67. 



Hydrops abacurus, Dum. & Bibr. Erp. Gen. Tab. 65. 



Helicops abacurus, Holbr. N. Amer. Herp. 2d. ed. Ill, 1842, 111. PI. xxvi. 

 Farancia Drummondi, Gray, Zool. Misc. 1842, 68. 

 Farancia fasciata. Gray, Catal. of Snakes, Brit. Mus. 1849, 74. 

 Red-Bellied Snake ; Horn Snake. 



Vertical plate subhexagonal, elongated, sides nearly parallel, 

 pointed posteriorly. Occipitals elongated, angular, posteriorly taper- 

 ing. Postfrontals subangular, entering in the orbit. Prefrontal 

 angular, well developed. Rostral much broader than high, concave 

 beneath. Nostril in the middle of the nasal plate, visible from above. 

 Loral elongated, horizontal, forming together with the postfrontal, 

 the anterior part of the orbit. Eyes circular. Superciliaries sub- 

 angular, elongated, well developed. Two angular postorbitals, upper 

 one largest, lower one resting on the commissure between the 4th 

 and 5 th labials. One pre temporal shield, large, and four smaller 

 ones. Upper labials 7 ; 5th and 6th slightly larger. Lower labials 8, 

 4th largest ; the two posterior ones scale-like. Mental scutellse two 



