104 BULLETIN 154, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



ences cited between mcekl and yulatis are those which actually exist 

 between the present gularis and perjulexus. These may be quoted as 

 follows: "There is no doubt that the 13 specimens of ineckl arc 

 closely allied to each other, and ditt'er in the averaiic froui the typical, 

 northern (juJaHs by their larger forearm scutes * * * phdc 

 throat, decidedly strong and uniform (blue-) black pigmentation of 

 the chest and abdomen, and * * * tlie tendency to develop a 

 fourth pair of pale stripes in the mid-field besides the usual three 

 pairs." Thus, it is seen that the description of mseki was the result 

 of careful, although unfortunately misplaced, observation. As it is. 

 meehi seems unquestionably a synonym of guJarls. 



II. The forms of Chihuahua are supposedly six in number, and 

 were characterized by Cope (1886, j). 283) as follows: 



1. Six longitudinal lines with no spots C. scxUncatus scxlincatus. 



2. Six stripes, small white spots in fields C. scxUncatus (jntidius. 



3. Six stripes, wider, very obscure ; small obscure spots. 



C. scxlincatiis, suhsiwcics no. 3. 



4. Six stripes, wider, spots enlarged to become confluent with the light stripes. 



C. scxUncatus, suTyspccics no. //. 



5. Stripes wider, spots confluent with them, so as to reduce the ground color 



to a series of cross-lines C sexlincalus, suhspccics no. 5. 



6. Tlie short, black, crossbars more or less confluent across the positions of 



the light stripes, forming transverse crossbands which are generally de- 

 vehtped laterally C. scxIincatHs tif/ris. 



It is obvious from the arrangement and the context of the above 

 " key " that only one species is involved. It seems worthy of note 

 that all of these transient color phases are here found in one general 

 locality, the plains near the city of Chihuahua. An examination of 

 the " types " shows that the specimens near the beginning of the 

 series are all young and that those near the end are all adults. 



In 1892 Cope (p. 45) considered the above guttatiis as a synonym 

 of gulans, but substituted for it a quadrinomial, C. gidaris gularis 

 veinis. In addition, the subspecies nos. 3 and 4 became C gularis 

 gidm^is ohsoletus., and the subspecies no. 5 plus " tigris " became 

 C. gularis scalaris. That all of these are one seems amply demon- 

 strated, but the question of whether they are ])erplexus or gularis 

 still remains. An examination of the types shows some to be 

 identifiable as one and some as the other. A combination of the 

 dorsal pattern of ferylexus and the blue-black ventral suffusion of 

 gulanns occurs, perhaps, most frequently. Therefore, these " forms " 

 must be placed in the synonymy as intergrades between gularis and 

 fevflexus. 



III. The " communis " group was developed chiefly by Gadow 

 (1906) and consists of the following forms: communis., copel, 

 inarlamm^ hocourtii^ austral Is, and occiclentalis. 



