""Vll' ] PKOCEEDINGS OF TEIE NATFOXAL MUSEUM. 637 



Head inoderately (listiiK-t, oval. iJud.v I'loiij^^ati', .sultcylindiic ; (ad 

 oue-sixtb to nearly one-oi<;litli the total leii|.ctli. Rostral plate moder- 

 ately proiniuent, broader than hi<,di, vi.sible from above, but not divid- 

 ing the internasals. Internasals much smaller than i)rerroiitals. Fron- 

 tal a.s broad as louf?; supereiliaries po.steri(uly \vi<lerthaii fionial. I'a 

 rietals lar<;e, lon<;er than wide. Postnasal hi<4herthan prenasal; loreal 

 rather small, lon^^cr than iiij;h. Oculars 1-L', the anterior widely sep- 

 arated above from frontal. Temporals 2-2, all lon<,' and narrow, those 

 of the second row coincidin*,' in antroposterior extent with the last supe- 

 rior labial. Superior labials eight, the fourth and tlfth bounding the 

 orbit; the sixth triangular, theajiex not reaching the postocular. Sev 

 eiith higher, but uot longer than the eighth. Inferior labials eight, 

 Itflh largest. Geneials short, anterior pair tlu^ longer. 



Scales smooth, rather wide, in seventeen rows. 



Color varying from light brown to black, the tints when not uniform 

 covering large parts of the body. 



Size large, reaching a length of eight feet, with rol)ust proportions. 



There are three color varieties of tiiis species which pass into each 

 other, but which have esi)ecial geographic ranges. They are as follows: 

 Color light brown, witli ;ir black oblique stripe ou each side of the ueck...s'. <•. corais. 

 Color like S. c. coraix anteriorly, Imt rnori; or less of the jjostorior part of tlu? l>o(lv 



with tail, hlatk .S'. (.. mtlutiiintii. 



Color black, thu anterior gastrtjstej^es with dark rod bases, and the su])erior labials 

 generally with dark red Ijorders ,s. c. foiiptrii. 



The IS. c. corais inhabits South America; the *S'. c. melamiru.s Central 

 America and Mexico, and th(> *S'. e. eouperii the Gulf States of Xortli 

 America. 



Spilotea corais coiiperii Holljrnok. 



Coluber coitperii Ilnlbronk, X. Ainer. llerpctol.. iii, 1842, i>. 75; I'l. xvi. 



Gconjia coiijutH Bd. and Gird., Cat. X. Amur. Serjjt., 18r>3, p. [)2. 



SpilotiH cuiiperii Cope, Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860, p. '>M\ Check List Batr. Kept. X. 



Amer., 187.'), '^'^\ Garnian. Mem. Mns. Comp. Zilol. Cambr., viii, IH-^W, p. i |'.(. 

 (ivorifm ohsoleta Hd. and (Jird., Cat. Serpt. X. .\mer., IS.')!?. i:>-^ {not Coluhir obsoleliis 



Sai/). 

 Spilotes ercbcnniin Coiw, Proc. Acad. Phila., lSt>(), p. .")(;j ; Check List I.e., \>. :VJ. 



Some of the si)ecinu'ns from the coast region of Georgia have only 

 seven superior labials, while others have the usual number, eight. I do 

 not (ind it to be a constant character, and so can not separate the Coin- 

 her roiipcrii of IJolbrook from his C. ohs<fl<'tus (" Say," .S. crchcnniis Cope). 

 The half-grown specimen from eastern Georgia in the National collec- 

 tion is brown. 



RHINECHIS Michaelles. 



In Wagler hones et Descript. Amphib. 1S?:{ IM. Vi.'>. Hon.nparte, Fauna Italica H:iH 

 PI. 70; Dumc^rilot Ilibron. i'.rp. (JtMioralo. 18.',.|, vii. p. •J.'7: Cope, Hull. I'. S. Xat. 

 Mns., 18.-<7, Xo. :V2, p, 50. 

 Ati:<iU(i Kennieott, \' . S. jiiid MfX. lioiind. ."^nix. : ii. !■•.">'.'. U'eptib-s. )i. I-. 



Head moderately distinct, mu//.le depressed, projecting. Tail ratlu'r 

 short. Teeth equal. Ci'phalic plates normal; the rostral recuive«land 



