HERPETOLOGY OF JAPAN. 321 



into a broad (about 6 scale rows) longitudinal blackish band with 

 vertical series of white spots about four scales apart; underside pale 

 yellowish with a dusky spot on each ventral at the lateral angle, these 

 spots posteriorly consolidating into a broad black longitudinal band 

 separated from the lateral broad band by a wliite one which occupies 

 outer scale-row and the adjacent portion of the upturned ventral; 

 these bands are continued on the tail to the tip, so that the tail is 

 black with four whitish or yellowish bands, one on the median line 

 underneath, one on the median line above, and one on each side; 

 head above imiform clay-color with a broad, horizontal postocular 

 black band which ends above the angle of the mouth l)ut does not 

 reach it; a small dusky spot on preocular; labials and throat uni- 

 form unspotted pale yellowish. 



Dimensions. 



mm. 



Total length 1,345 



Snout to vent '. ] ,030 



Vent to tip of tail 815 



The young are essentially" colored like the above, except that 

 the markings are more sharpl}" defined; the vertical light marks 

 on the lateral black band are suffused with brownish; top of head 

 without any marks whatever. 



Variation. — This species, which appears to be so constant in colora- 

 tion, on the other hand is rather variable in its scutellation. Thus 

 of about 22 specimens three are recorded as having an undivided 

 anal; the temporals are rather variable, from 1+2 to 2+4; nine 

 snpralabials are sometimes noted; Doctor Wall records a specimen 

 in which the loreals were confluent with prefrontals on both sides. 

 As stated before, the number of ventrals ranges between 226 and 

 258, and the subcaudals between 90 and 111. The majority of 

 specimens recorded seems to have 25 scale rows, but in about 40 per 

 cent the number is 23. 



The relation of the preocular to frontal and consequently the 

 prefrontal to supraocular is also variable. As a rule, I believe 

 the latter are in contact, but in one of our specimens (No. 31718) 

 the}" are separated by the preocular being broadly in contact with 

 the frontal. 



Habitat . — Ranging from Darjeeling in the west to Formosa and 

 the Amur Province in the east, this species has the regular Himalayo- 

 Chinese distribution. The extreme northeastern point from which 

 it has been recorded is Possiet Bay, in the Amur Province near the 

 Korean boundar}^, but it seems to be common in the mountains 

 west and northwest of Peking. A fine large specimen is in the 

 U. S. National Museum (No. 14608) collected in Korea by Doctor 

 Ferebee. 



26485— No. 58—07 21 



