NO. 2205. CUBAN AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES— STEJNEOER. 279 



and the loreal while E. angulifer, as a rule, has two. Moreover, in 

 the latter species three suboculars touch the eye. 



None of these conditions, however, are without exceptions. Thus 

 a true E. striatus figured by Jan ' has two scales between loreal and 

 labials, and one of our specimens of E. angulifer, the one here figured 

 (fig. 87), has only one; but in the former the labials touch the eye, 

 and in the latter they are excluded by three suboculars. On the 

 strength of a young specimen in the Hamburg Museum, Doctor 

 Zenneck ^ would unite the two species because it has two suboculars 

 shutting out the labials from the eye. This specimen (Hamburg 

 Mus., No. 1410a) I have been able to examine, thanks to Doctor 

 Pfeffer's kindness. I can affirm that it is only a slightly abnormal 

 E. striatus. The suboculare are very narrow and only two in number, 

 and there is only one intercalated shield between loreal and labials. 

 The characters distinguishing E. striatus and E. angulifer are not 

 limited to the above, however, for E. angulifer has a marked depres- 

 sion on the upper portion of the supralabials behind the eyes; the 

 occipital and temporal shields as well as those on the snout are larger; 

 and there are also differences in the color pattern. 



Palmer and Riley collected specimens at San Diego de los Banos 

 and at Guanajay. 



TROProOPHIS MELANURA (Schlegel). 



One specimen was collected at El Guamfi,, Pinar del Rio, on 

 March 26, 1900, by Palmer and Riley, and another by Bowdish on 

 January 11, 1902, atGuama, 



I am inclined to regard TropidopMs hucculenta (Cope), from 

 Navassa Island, as belonging near T. melanura rather than to T. macu- 

 lata, though forming a distinct species. I have examined the type 

 material (No. 12377, U.S.N.M.) and find the scale formulas of the 

 three specimens to be as follows; 



1 would call attention to the number of caudals, which is less than 

 in any specimen of T. melanura or maculata which I have examined. 

 The brownish stripes seen in T. melanura are plainly visible in all 

 three specimens. 



In this connection it may be well to call attention to the fact that 

 in these snakes the characters supplied by the head-shields can not 

 be expected to be without exceptions. A convincing demonstration 



> Icon. Ophid., livr. 6, pi. 6. 'Zeitschr. Wiss. Zool., vol. 64, 1898, p. 60. 



