griffin: ophidia from south America in carnegie museum 209 



Genus Tantilla Baird & Girard. 



64. Tantilla melanocephala (Linnaeus). 



Coluber melanocephalus Linnaeus, Mus. Ad. Frid., 1754, p. 24, PL XV, fig. 2; 



Syst. Nat., Ed. XII, 1766, I, p. 378. 

 Homalocranium melanocephaluni Boulenger, Cat. Snakes, III, 1896, p. 215. 



The only example of this serpent which we possess is a male, taken by Mr. J. D. 

 Haseman at Santa Cruz, in the province of Matto Grosso, Brazil, on June 22, 1909. 

 It bears the catalog number 337. 



Counts and Measurements. 



(No. 337.) 



Anal 1/1 



Scale-rows 15 



Gastrosteges 152 



Urosteges 63/63 



Upper labials 7(3.4) 



Preoculars 1 



Postoculars 2 



Temporals 1,1 



Total length in mm 180 



Length of tail in mm 43 



65. Tantilla semicincta (Dumeril & Bibron). 



Homalocranium semicinctum Dumeril & Bibron, Erp. Gen., VII, 1854, p. 862. 

 Homalocranium semicinctum Boulenger, Cat. Snakes, III, 1896, p. 219. 



The specimens in the Carnegie Museum are cataloged as follows: 



No. 200, 9 , Bonda, Colombia, H. H. Smith coll., August. 



No. 210, d^, Bonda, Colombia, H. H. Smith coll., June. 



No. 1094, d", Bonda, Colombia, H. H. Smith coll., August. 



No. 1844, 9 , South America, Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Smith coll., no date. 



No. 2024, 9 , Cacagualito, Colombia, Mrs. H. H. Smith, no date. 



No. 2037, cf, Cacagualito, Colombia, Mrs. H. H. Smith, no date. 



Nos. 200, 210, 2024, 2037, and 1844 are all dark brown above with narrow 

 white bars or half-bars. The lower surfaces are white. The tip of the snout is 

 yellow touched with brown; there is a yellow spot on the lip behind the eye. The 

 stomach of no. 1094 contained a centipede 153 mm. long. 



