Cope.] '^"^ [April 17, 



YYY. Five superior labials. 

 B,. semidoliatum D. & B. 



The American species of Elapoidis are the followiug : E. chalybceus 



Wagl. (E. sieboldii Jaa. ); E. psephotus Cope; E. doUchocephalus Cope; 



E. bracliycephalus Cope, and E. dugesi Boc. (^Geophis dugesi Boconvt). 



Storeria occipitomaculata Storei-. The most southern locality yet 



noted for this species. The S. tropica Cope has the head shields of 



this species, but the squamation of the S. deJcayi. 



EUT^NIA SUMICHRASTI Cope. 

 EUT^NIA PULCHRILATUS CopS. 

 SiBON ANNULATUM L. 



Crotalus triseriatus Wagl. 



III. GENERAL NOTES. 



EuT^NiA iNSiGNiARUM Cope. Procceds. Amer, Philosophical Society, 



1884, p. 172, and 

 E. MELANOGASTER Jan. Iconographic Generale des Ophidiens. 



I am indebted to my excellent friend, Dr. Julius Flohr, of the city of 

 Mexico, for a canoe excursion on the lake Xochimilco, which is seventeen 

 miles from the city, in the valley of Mexico. Here I had an opportunity 

 of seeing the botany and zoology of the very irregular shores, which are 

 so curiously constructed by the art of the natives. They are both indented 

 in the form of long, narrow docks, and extended in the form of piers into 

 the waters of the lake. The ends of these piers are sometimes more or less 

 detached below, so as to readily be moved, from which the later state- 

 ments regarding the floating islands have originated. The piers are planted 

 with crops of vegetables or flowers, which are sold in the adjacent city. 



The ends and shores of the piers are the resting place of innumerable 

 water snakes, which can be readily observed from a canoe. The wife of 

 our Indian boatman was particularly acute in detecting these animals 

 before either my friend or myself could see them. We caught a consider- 

 able number, and found that they belong to the two species above named. 

 The habits of the two differ somewhat. The E. insigniarum is the more 

 active, sooner seeking the water, where it swims, keeping close to the 

 shore, and remaining more or less in sight until it conceals itself in a 

 hole. The E. mdanogaster, on the other hand, lies quietly so as to be 

 more easily taken in the hand ; but, if it once takes to the water, it seeks 

 the depths, and is no more seen. It is much less disposed to bite than the 

 E. insigniarum ; the latter being, like its ally, the E. sirtalis, a very pug- 

 nacious snake. 



The E. melanogaster is one of the few species of the genus which does 

 not possess bands. However, in one speciaien I observed a faint trace of 

 a lateral band on each side. It is also variable as to the number of its 

 ocular plates, having them 2-3, 2-3, 1-3, or 2-4, 2-3 being apparently the 



