158 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxv. 



SISTRURUS CATENATUS EDWARDSII (Baird and Girard). 



A sing-le specimen of the Western massasaiiga. collected by Dr. Wil- 

 cox on the parade ground of Fort Huachuca (No. 17789), is the only 

 definite record of this species west of the Rio Grande, except a speci- 

 men collected by Henshavv in "southern Arizona" (No. 8109). 



CROTALUS PRICEI Van Denburgh. 



This rattlesnake, so distinct from all the other species occurring 

 within the United States, was described in'1895 b}^ Mr. van Den])urgh 

 from five specimens collected by Mr. W. W. Price in the Huachuca 

 Mountains. Curiously enough, it has not been obtained hy any of the 

 parties collecting for the United States National Museum. 



CROTALUS MOLOSSUS Baird and Girard. 



Two highly colored specimens of this handsome rattler have been 

 sent in by Dr. Wilcox, viz, Nos. 17788 and 21107. The first-men- 

 tioned one was taken in the canyon above the fort at an altitude of 

 about 5,500 feet. 



CROTALUS ATROX Baird and Girard. 



Four specimens from Fort Huachuca, viz, two by Lieutenant Benson 

 (Nos. 11712, 11713) and two by Dr. Wilcox (Nos. 21108, 21109), dem- 

 onstrate most convincingly the utter unreliability of the so-called 

 C. scutulatnx. Benson's smaller specimen (No. 11712) has the scutel- 

 lation on the anterior portion of the head of the typical C. atro.f. No. 

 21109 has two enlarged scute-like scales between the anterior half of 

 the supraoculars, preceded and followed by small scales; No. 21108 

 has similarly enlarged scales, which, however, are preceded by a pair 

 just like them, and followed by another pair somewhat smaller; the 

 fourth, a very large specimen, is somewhat intermediate between the 

 three others, as it has two pairs of large scales between the supra- 

 oculars, separated on the median line, however, by a series of small 

 scales, while the median space in front of the interoculars is covered 

 with small scales. 



This is a fair example of the status of this alleged species, not only 

 in this locality but wherever it is found. It is nothing but an indi- 

 vidual variation, more common in the Rocky Mountain and Sierra 

 Madre region, perhaps, than elsewhere, but nowhere attaining such a 

 percentage of stabilit}' as to warrant its recognition even as a subspe- 

 cies or race. 



CROTALUS LEPIDUS Kennicott. 



Two specimens from Fort Huachuca have been sent in by Dr. Wil- 

 cox (Nos. 19672, 21100), one without head. This rare snake seems 

 to be not uncommon in this region, as four specimens wei"e collected 

 by Mr. Price near Fort Lowell and in the Huachuca Mountains.^ 



1 Van Denburgh, Proc. Cal. Acad. ScL, (2), VI, 189 6, p. 348, 



I 



