'"i'h;h!' ] PROCEEDINGS OF TIIK XATION'AI, MIM.LM. (J21 



CYCLOPHIS (iiiiitliL-i. 



Cat. ColiibrineSiiakt's Uril. Mils., isr.s, p. n.j; Copo, Hull. IJ. s. Nut. Miis. :W. lH87,p. 

 .')(); OpheodnjH Fitziii-;.'!-, S.\.st«-iiiii Kcplilium 1H.1:5, p.«JG, nonun inidiim ; Copo, 

 I'roc. Acnd. Pliihi., 1>HJ0, 500, I'liilophnllopliin Garmim. Mi-nmirs MiiKcuiii Conip. 

 Zocilo'jv, Caiuhridgo, 1883, p. 14(5. 



Ih'iul tlistiiict, .scuta normal. One nasal plate, uuv int'ociilar. Tt'etli 

 eciuiil, .smooth. Anal and caudal .scuta divided. Scales keeled, hifos- 

 .satci (C. (I'stivus). 



Tlii.s ^enus i.s found in temperate North America only. I n the nearctic 

 realm its rany,e is mainly the Austroriparian rej^ion ; Imr it lias been 

 taken in the .southern partofthe central re<'ion, and it ran;;es also the 

 Carolinian district ol" the eastern rei^ion. 13 ut one species is known, 

 which is characterized as follows : 



Scales ill soveutemi rows; siiiieiior laliials seven ; temporals l-'2 ; tail two and otie- 

 liair times in total length. Green above ; labials and below light yellow. 



C. aslivut. 



Cyclophis cestiviis Linn. 



Gtinther, Cat. Coluber Snakes Brit. Mns., Id5t(, xi ; Cojio, Check List. N. Ainer. H.iti. 



Rcjit , LS?'), p. :{.S. 

 Coluber (vhUvuh Linn., Syst. Nat. i. 170(5, ji. :5S7 ; (Jmelin. Sy>t. Nat., nl. xm. i, iii 



176S, p. 1114; Harlan, .Jonr. A<ad. I'iiila., v, 16-27. 

 Lrptojihis (VHtints \M], Zoiil. .Joiirii., II, Id'iii, :!i'J; Holbiook, N. Ami-r. Herpetoi.. iii, 



1-4-2, p. 17, ri. in; lid. auil Gird., Cat. 185:?, p. lOU. 

 Ilcrpilodryaa (vslh'its Dum. and Bibr. Erp. Gen., vii, p. 201), 1854. 

 Ophcodnjs astivus Fitz, Cope, I'roo. Acad. Pliibi.. 1^(50, ji. .')G0 ; CyclophiH (I'ln/llopliih- 



phis) (ci/jcHs Garnian, Mfiii. Mn.s. Comp. Zoiil. Cambr., viii, 11:^83, p. 14(5. 

 Jngiii-i ririilid L'atcsby, Nat. Hist. Carolina, li, 174:5, )>. .".7, IM vii 



Austroriparian and jiart of Eastern region. 



BASCANIUM 11.1. iiiid (iinl. 



Cat. Kept. N. Amor., PI. l, Serpent.^, 1S'>:{, p. '.).5 ; Cope, Cheek List Batr. Kept. N.Amer , 

 1875, p. 40; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mns. :{-i, 1-^87, p ."i(5 ; Vorijpliodoii DiuiH-ril and Bib- 

 ron, Erjiet. (Jen., vil, 18.")4,p. 181 ; not of Owen, 184(5; MaHticoi)liiii Bd. and (Jird. 

 Cat. /.('., l»^iS:i, p. y^. Co/H^fr Diiiii<5ril Prodrome, 18.V2; (iarmiin, IN'kJ. 



Head distinct ; cephalic plates normal. Teeth increasin^j {gradually 

 in size posteriorly; not grooved. Scales smooth, in an odd nnmlnTof 

 series, with two apical fossa'. 8nl)caudal scntella in two series; anal 

 plate dividi'd. Two preociilars; lorcal present ; two nasal jilates. I-'mni 

 elonoate. 



The species ol this fjenus are elonjiate in form, and active in move- 

 meut, so that the popular names of '-whip snake" and "ra(;er'' are 

 appioi)riate. Although at home on the oronnd they climb bushes and 

 low trees, thou^^h they rarely a.sceml to any great height. They are 

 skillfid in capturing Nonng birds, as well as small mammals and rep 

 tiles. They are distributed ovilall North Ann-rica south of the Horeal 

 region, and are re)>ri*sente(], like most of our othi-r giwu-ra of snaki's. by 

 a greater multiplicity of form in the southwestern section of the conti- 

 nent. One species inhabits Mexico e.xclusively. 



