SNAKES OF THE GENUS PITUOPHIS 195 



one foot above ground," "on the margin of the San Luis Rey River," 

 "on a concrete highway making almost no progress despite violent 

 efforts" [mortality from automobiles was found to be particularly 

 high in this form, especially among juveniles], "under a piece of tin in 

 a field," and also (1932b, p. 125) in "brush," "orchard," "creek and 

 fields," "fields," and "orange groves." Specimens collected were 

 found to have eaten "a fuU grown mouse," "two small rabbits," "a 

 large mouse." "A buzzard was observed eating a large freshly killed 

 specimen by the roadside." Specimens in captivity laid eggs on 

 July 19, July 21, and August 29 (1931, p. 70). 



Affinities. — The closest aflBnities evidently exist between this form 

 and the other subspecies of catenifer, catenijer and deseriicola. Al- 

 though there is a continuous increase in the number of dorsal spots 

 from deseriicola to catenijer to annectens, nevertheless the direct deriva- 

 tion of annectens from deserticola rather than from catenijer would 

 seem to be indicated by the fact that in most of the scale characters 

 there is a decrease from deserticola to catenijer, but not to annectens. 

 The observations of Klauber (1931, p. 49) on annectens and deserticola 

 would suggest the derivation of annectens from deserticola elsewhere 

 than in southeastern California. In this connection EQauber says: 



From the first I have naturally been desirous of determining the area of inter- 

 gradation of these two forms, if such an area exists. Therefore, all border speci- 

 mens coming into my hands have been examined with care, and I have been sur- 

 prised to find that there is apparently no intergradation. I do not know, as yet, 

 whether the ranges of the two subspecies overlap, but at least it is evident that they 

 closely approach each other. I have had specimens of annectens from a number of 

 desert foothill localities. . . . Strange as it may seem, these specimens appear to 

 average rather darker and with a higher number of dorsal blotches than is usual 

 in annectens, thus showing a tendency away from, rather than toward, deserticola. 

 It is true that an occasional specimen light in color and with few spots will come 

 to hand, which will fall between deserticola and annectens according to the key, 

 but these are quite as likely to be found in the coastal zone as elsewhere and seem 

 to be conspicuous by their absence in the desert foothill area. A single typical 

 deserticola has been taken within San Diego County at Carrizo and further east- 

 ward the subspecies becomes relatively common. Here it is quite uniform in 

 coloration and distinct from annectens. Thus we have in the place of a single 

 changing form, two separate subspecies which have not been shown to intergrade 

 in this region, although they may elsewhere, or through a third member of the 

 species. 



The probable relationships of annectens and the adjacent forms have 

 been expressed by the diagram on page 133. 



Table 14 lists the specimens of this form that have been examined. 



