1903.1 NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 



295 



(1852) was perhaps a leptocephala, but the fact cannot now he verified, 

 and a mere possibihty should not be allowed to disturb existing 

 nomenclature. 



■ E. injernalis vidua Cope was founded upon Kennicott's origmal 

 specimens of E. atrata. One of these is now No. 6,359 (original num- 

 ber 970) in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences, and there 

 is a second, No. 6,584, marked vidua in Cope's handwriting. Both of 

 these specimens are labeled "San Francisco." I have elsewhere 

 stated^2 that Cope's description is not accurate in details and have 

 given my reasons for assigning these specimens to leptocephala. Mr. 

 Van Denburgh considers them toheE.e. clegans, and states that this 

 color form has been found only on the coast slope of the peninsula ()f 

 San Francisco, and questions the occurrence of leptocephala in Cah- 

 fornia. In consequence, I have reexamined the two examples of vidua 

 and am still inclined to refer them to leptocephcda, leaving the geogra- 

 phical part of the problem for further investigation.^^ 



In any event vidua would be no more than a synonym of atrata. 



Eutaenia hammondi. 



Eutwnia hammondi Kenn., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, p. 332. 



Hammond's garter snake does not range north of Fresno county, 

 Cal., but extends southeastward into the plains of Arizona. 



The scutellation is that of E. elegans, but the body is slender, the 

 head is narrow and elongated and the posterior chin-shields are much 

 longer. The color is grayish or olive-brown; dorsal stripe narrow, 

 indistinct or absent; the spots are always indistinct and^ sometimes 

 absent, though indicated by black dots on many scales. Ventral sur- 

 face yellowish, often with dark bases to the scuta, and at times 

 clouded with slate toward the tail; this usually forms a line along the 

 sutures between the subcaudals. Parietal. spots and nuchal l^lotches 

 present; labials dark bordered, and a more or less evident pale post-oral 



crescent. 



This form has been regarded by some authors, including myself, as 

 a subspecies of E. elegans, but further study of fresh material has 

 satisfied me that it is distinct enough in character and geographical 

 range to be admitted to specific rank^ __^__ 



12 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1901, p. 30. . 



'■' There may be a doubt as to the exact localities where the specimens on which 

 vidua was founded were collected. Kennicott g;ave none in the original descrip- 

 tion of E. atrata, but in a footnote Dr. Cooper, the naturalist of the survey, says 

 "California " The one in the Academy's collection is labeled ban l^rancisco, 

 but there is also in the collection an undoubted leptocephala of about the same 

 date, bearing a like label. San Francisco has always been the point at which 

 all California interests center. 



