HERPETOLOGY OF JAPAN. 



281 



Description (figs. 244-246) .^ Adult male: U.S.N.M. No. 34036; 

 Taipa, Formosa; March, 1903; A. Owston collection. Rostral much 

 broader than high, well visible from above; internasals slightly 

 shorter than the prefrontals, very narrow in front, their suture with 

 rostral considerably shorter than suture between rostral and first 

 labial; prefrontals in contact with supraoculars; frontal longer than 

 its distance from tip of snout and interparietal suture; parietals 

 equaling the distance of eye from tip of snout ; nostril large, between 

 two subequal nasals; loreal somewhat longer than high, upper edge 

 shorter than and parallel with lower; one preocular, not in contact 

 with frontal; 3 postoculars; temporals 1+2; supralabials 8, third, 

 fourth, and fifth entering eye, sixth and seventh largest; 5 lower 

 labials in contact with anterior chin-shields which are shorter than the 

 posterior; 19 rows of scales, strongly keeled except outer row, and 

 without apical pores; 149 ventrals; anal divided; 81 pairs of sub- 

 caudals. Color (in alcohol) above bro\\Tiish gray with numerous 



245 



Figs. 244-246.— Natrix stolata. 2 X nat. size. 244, top of head; 245, side of head; 246, under- 

 side OF HEAD. No. 36.510, U.S.N.M. 



narrow black crossbars alternating on each side of the median line 

 anteriorly but continuous farther back ; across tliis pattern two longi- 

 tudinal, dorso-lateral pale bands occupying the whole of sixth scale 

 row and the adjacent halves of fifth and seventh rows; posteriorly 

 these bands are nearly uniformly pale, but anteriorly they exhibit a 

 kind of chain pattern, inasmuch as the outer edges of the middle 

 scale row are black except where the band intersects as black cross- 

 bar; below the lateral band many small irregularly alternating black 

 spots; top of head with obscure dusky edges to the shields; no 

 nuchal collar; supralabials whitish, the light color extendmg upward 

 on the preocular and the lower postoculars, the vertical edges of the 

 labials heavily margined with black as are also the preocular m front 

 and the postoculars behind, the vertical, black edged, white bar in 

 front of the eye being very characteristic; underside uniform whitish, 

 each ventral with a black mark near the outer edge. 



