^"mi'''] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. flTO 



IV. Scalfs ill tweuty-tlu'cti (1) rows; .supfridi- l;ilii;ils nitu'. 



Top of head brown ; dorsal s[)otsuiiiiioroiis, transverse, nioro or lessdividcxl dia- 



»10<l'l3 r.collui in Vo[H-.' 



Top of liead white, with three round black spots; dorsal spots few transverse 

 undivided bhick rhombs, with pahi edj^cs T. rilLinMonii Cope. 



V. Scales in twenty-(ivo (7) rows; snp(Mior labials nine. 



Top of bead with chevron bands; dorsal spots formed of four eonllnent spots 

 and inclosing a pale center .../". hiMcututiiH Diim. Hibr. 



Of the precedirifj species I liave before me one vnrh i*t' flit- 7'. lamhdn, 

 tau, coll((ris, and vilhiiisonii. Of tlu^ T, hirophnms tlici-e :ii<' six spcci 

 mens; of the T. upsilon six, and of the T. hi.sciitaius, Umv. 



The type of the i;-eniis is the T. lijrophancs. It is tin' niil\ species 

 found within the limits of the United States, 



Trimorphodon lyrophanes (d|»e. 



Proc. Acad. Phila., ISfU, p. 2117 ; Proc. Anu'r. Philos. Soc, I880, p. 2H(>; Lycmlon lyro. 

 phaiies Cope, Proc, Acad. Pliila. 18(i(), p. :M:! ; Siboii bisvHlatum (iarniaii, .Mem. 

 Mus. Conip. Zoiil. Cambr, viii, l.S-*:!. ji. l:M. 



Arizona; Lower California. 



111.— PROTEROGLYPHA. 



ELAl'ID.K. 



ELAPS Schneider. 



Hi8toriaAmphib.,1801, II, p. 289 ; Dum. Bibr., Erp. Gen., vii, 18.''>4, 1101 ; GUntber, 

 Cat. Snakes Brit. Mns., 1858, 22'J ; Cope, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., :f2, 1887, p. (VJ. 



Maxillary bone without solid teeth behind the perforateil tooth. Ce- 

 phalic plates normal ; rostral not modified. Two nasal plati-.--; no lo- 

 real ; oculars few. Scales not keeled, without fossa. Siibcaiidal scii- 

 tella in two rows; aual plate divided. Tupil a vertical oval. Head 

 little distinct. 



This jrenus embraces twenty or more species of the Neotropical 

 realm, three of which have their principal hal)itat in the southern por- 

 tions of the Nearctic. They are of rather elon}.,Mte body and short tail, 

 and liave small eyes. They approximsite in {general app»'ai.incc the 

 CalamarineColubriche, so that their di.scrimi nation, except on examina- 

 tion of the dentition, from snakes of this ^jroiip. can only be accomplisheti 

 by experts in species characters. The scutellatiou of the head is exa<'tly 

 that of the jjenus Taiitilla. The coloration is brilliant, consisting of red 

 and black, with less yellow, arranged in rings or parts of rings. The 

 red is generally the ground color, and the black rings are either single 

 or in sets of three. The latter may be much narrower than the ground 

 color, or imiy be so wide as to n'duce it to very small proportions 

 {E. semiixirtifKs; E. impcrator). The epidermis is beautifully iridescent, 

 especially on tiie black spaces. The colors are much like those of the 

 mineral labradorite,and are probably due toa similarphysical cau^e, v^, 



'Eieirodipsas biscutata .Tan. Icon. Cn. Olid., 11. :V.). Fi-. :l (not T. biacutatut D. &.B.). 



