616 NORTH AMERICAN SNAKES — COPE. 



Head, body, and tail slender ; bead iiattened above ; body subcyl- 

 indrical; tail subconical and taperiuj? into a ])oiut. Frontal plate snb- 

 pentagoiial, less tapering posteriorly than in B.pnnctatus, and snbacnte. 

 Occipitals narrow and elongated. Prefontals as in D. j)M«c/a^MS. Su- 

 persiliaries narrower and nearly of the same width throughout their 

 lengtli. Upper labials seven, sixth largest. Lower labials eight, fifth 

 largest. Scales rather short, snbelliptical, considerably larger on the 

 sides than on the back, especially the outer row. Numerous small 

 spots are scattered all over the lower part of the body, from the head 

 to near the end of the tail. The upper surface and sides of head are 

 blackish brown. Thej ground color of the abdomen is orange in life. 



This species exhibits the same range of color variation as in I). rec/aUs, 

 with some exceptions. Thus there is a light-bluish form and a blackish 

 form, the former western, and latter more eastern. I have seen no 

 specimen without a nuchal collar. The specimens are always smaller 

 and more slender than the fully grown D. regalis arnyi. These forms 

 are distinguished as follows : 

 Color above bluish, below orauge, the latter color covering two rows of scales. 



D. a. 2)uIc1ieUus. 



Color above bluish to the gastrosteges ]). a. docilis. 



Color above blackish browu to the gastrosteges ; labials brown ; ventral spots irregu- 

 lar D. a. amabiUs. 



Color above blackish to gastrosteges ; labials yellow ; ventral spots in three series. 



D. a. stictogetiys. 



The D. a. pulchelhis and D. a. amabilis are Californian ; the D. a. docilis 

 is known from Texas and Sonora; while the D. a. stictogenys ranges 

 from Texas to Louisiana and Georgia. 



Diadophis amabilis pulchellus Bd. and Gird. 



Diadopliis puchelliis Bd. and Gird., Cat. Serp. N. Amer., 1853, p. 11'). 

 Diadophis punclatus pnlchellus Cope, Proc. Acad. Phila., 188:?, p. 27; Jan. Icon. Gen. 

 Olid., I, 15, VI, Fig. 3. 



Oregon and California. 



Diadophis amabilis docilis Bd. and Gird. 



Diadophis docilis Bd. and Gird., Cat. Sorp. N. Amer., 1853, p. 111. 

 Diadophis texcnais Keunicott, Proc. Acad. Phila., 186U, p. 328; Diadophis punctatus do- 

 cilis, Jan, Icon. Gen. Olid, l, 15, Tl, Fig. 2. 



Texas and Sonora. 



Diadophis amabilis amabilis Bd. and Gird. 



Diadophis ainahilis Bd. and Gild. Cat. 1853, p. 113; Diadophis puneiatus amahilia, Jan, 

 Icon. Gen., Ofid., i, 15, vi., Fig. 4. 



Southern California. 



Diadophis amabilis stictogenys Cope. 



Diadophis punctatus var. stictogcni/s Cope, Proc. Acad. Phila., IS(]U, p. 250. D. puncta- 

 tus stictogenys Cope, Check List, 1875, p. 37. 



Louisiana to Georgia. 



