394 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSE/UM vol. 92 



miscellaneous collection of over 20,000 specimens occupied almost 

 one-tenth of this time. During the remainder of the year most of the 

 snakes and lizards were briefly studied. According to original plan, 

 a report on the entire collection was to be prepared, but circumstances 

 have unduly delayed this. Rather than await its completion, the 

 report will be issued in parts. This, the first, treats the snakes and 

 crocodiles only. 



The total number of snakes obtained is 1,319, representing 175 

 species and subspecies. Among these are about 25 new forms, most 

 of them described in previous papers. Fifty-four are new to the 

 Museum's Mexican collection. Examples of all three species of croco- 

 diles known to occur in Mexico were found, including some 19 

 specimens; only one of these species was previously represented in 

 the Museum's collection from Mexico. 



While the following notes are based largely upon the specimens 

 procured under the Bacon Scholarship, it has appeared desirable to 

 record also other Mexican species (exclusive of Baja California) repre- 

 sented in the Museum, though these are not so thoroughly annotated 

 as t lie specimens deserve. In all, 116 forms are thus added, making 

 a total of 291 mainland Mexican forms — about three-fourths of the 

 total ever recorded — represented in the United States National 

 Museum. The specimens already in the Museum are listed after the 

 Bacon specimens in the discussion of each species ; species not repre- 

 sented in the Bacon collection have an asterisk preceding the name; 

 and species in the Bacon collection that are not otherwise represented 

 in the Museum's collection (or that are not represented by Mexican 

 specimens) are indicated by a statement in the final paragraph of the 

 discussion concerned. Three species of Scaphiodonto'phis have been 

 omitted because of an unexpected delay in the publication of their 

 descriptions elsewhere. 



In several previous papers (see bibliography: Smith, 1939-1 942g; 

 Smith and Taylor, 1941; Taylor and Smith, 1942a, b) discussions or 

 descriptions of certain specimens of the Bacon collection have ap- 

 peared. These notes are not repeated here, but a reference to them 

 is given in synonymy form for each species. References to more than 

 nominal mention of other specimens in the U. S. National Museum are 

 in footnotes. 



OPHIDIA 



ADELOPHIS COPEI Duges 



One specimen is in the collection, from Yautepec, Morelos (No. 

 110335) . This has 143 ventrals, 53 caudals (male ; 2 or 3 scales missing 

 at tip of tail); 5 infralabiuls and supralabials; fifth supralabial 



