68 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



tals ; a long hexagonal frontal ; two supra-orbitar, and two parietal plates, the 

 latter of moderate length ; a small occipital ; neck more narrow than posterior 

 part of head, body cylindrical, covered with broad quadrangular scales at the 

 sides, hexagonal above ; tail rather long and tapering, sub-caudal scutes bifid. 



HETEaONOTUS TRIANGULARIS, nob. 



Sp. Char. Color light olive above, with about yfteen narrow transverse yellow 

 fascia; from six to eight lines apart, commc-nciug on the neck and terminating 

 near the middle of the body ; a series of triangles, olive and yellow upon the 

 sides, the one inosculating with the other, the yellow lines upon the back con- 

 joining the apices ; 17 rows of scales near the middle ; ab. sc. 148, 1 bifid pre- 

 anal ; sub-caud. 100. 



Descrijjtion. The head is long, narrow and rounded in front, somewhat pro- 

 tuberant at the temples, covered above with nine plates exclusive of a very small 

 one looking like an occipital ; the rostral measures about two lines in breadth 

 by one in heighth ; presenting more or less distinctly three facets above, the two 

 exterior in contact each with the naso-rostral, the middle with the inter- 

 nasals, the external margin convex, the inferior concave ; the naso-rostral is 

 quadrangular, the naso-frenal rhomboidal in shape ; the frenal is also quadran- 

 gular with its supero-posterior angle rounded ; the two nasals are in contact 

 above with the internasals, the frenal with the pre-frontal ; the pre-ocular is 

 large, its superior portion much more so than the inferior ; rectangular below 

 triangular above, presenting an anterior and posterior angle and one superior, 

 in contact inferiorly with the third and fourth supra-labial, above with the pre- 

 frontal and supra-ocular ; there are two post-oculars, the inferior prolonged 

 forward, its anterior portion between the fifth supra-labial, and the eye, which 

 reclines upon it; the internasals are longer than broad, the pre-frontals on the 

 contrary remarkable for their breadth ; they pass down on the side of the head 

 between the naso-frenal and pre-ocular, to reach the frenal as above described ; 

 the frontal is remarkable for its length, and in this respect' differs greatly from 

 Coronella, in which it is short, and broader than long ; it is hexagonal and more 

 narrow posteriorly ; the supra-oculars are much longer than broad, more nar- 

 row in front; the parietals are of moderate size, in contact anteriorly with the 

 supra-ocular and the superior post-ocular ; there are eight superior labials on 

 the left side, the seventh and eighth on the right being fused together and pre- 

 senting one large plate ; the inferior margin of the eye rests on the fourth, wiiich 

 is more distinctly quadrangular, than any of the other superior labials ; there 

 are five plates between the supra-labials and the parietals, two in front and 

 three posteriorly; the anterior geneials are somewhat broader than the 

 posterior and not quite so long ; the supra-maxillary teeth are long, smooth, 

 unequally spaced, the posterior teeth the longest, the two anterior more recurved 

 than the others ; pterygo-palatine teeth much smaller, straight, their points 

 thrown far backward, in two long rows ; these rows are not parallel, but ap- 

 proach each other near the middle, and diverge anteriorly, the two presenting a 

 long urceolate outline ; the teeth in the lower jaw are much smaller than those 

 in the upper, shorter anteriorly; the neck is more narrow than the head 

 posteriorly, the body more or less cylindrical and much thicker in the middle, 

 decreasing toward the tail, which is of considerable length, and tapers to a 

 poiat; there are 17 rows of smooth scales near the middle of the body, the 

 same number upon the neck, 13 upon the tail near its root ; the inferior row of 

 of scales is the largest ; those upon the sides about as broad as long (U line,) 

 quadrangular ; those upon the back distinctly hexagonal, and somewhat 

 narrower; this difference in the form of the scales is. indistinct upon the neck 

 and posterior part of the body ; gasirostega rather broad but not ascending upon 

 the flanks which present no marked angularity. 



Coloration. Head yellowish above mingled with olive; the three or four pos- 

 terior of the superior labials bordered inferiorly with black, as well as the pos- 

 terior margin of the fourth ; several of the inferior labials margined with black ; 

 chin and throat yellow, black spotted ; ground color olive above, with about 



[Feb. 



