230 BULLETIN 154, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



of the " Albatross " Expedition and catalogued as A.M.N.H. No. 5525. 

 The specimen is in excellent condition, and shows the ''^ scJwiidW'' 

 type of coloration (described below). The dorsal line is less intense 

 than the lateral stripes and all of the interspaces are blackish brown. 

 In the writer's opinion this specimen does not differ from many 

 typical individuals of hypein/thrus. 



In a short paper by Van Denburgh and Slevin (1921Z), p. 397) 

 three new Lower Californian forms of Verticm-ia were diagnosed 

 (F. hyperythra schmidti^ V. espirltensis, and F. franciscensis) . All 

 three apparently differed from both liyperythra and heldingi, which 

 are regarded as synonyms here, in but a single feature — the more 

 or less complete union of the dorsal stripes into a single line. Both 

 of the groups under consideration are otherwise alike in all funda- 

 mental characters of scutellation and coloration. The union of the 

 dorsal stripes progresses forward from behind as a rule, although 

 some specimens have both anterior and posterior forks. This fork- 

 ing not only suggests derivation from the 2-lined condition found in 

 other specimens {hyperythrus) , but its variability makes it possible 

 to actually demonstrate progressive trcmsition from one extreme to 

 the other. 



Specimens of botli of the types under consideration (single and 

 multiple lined) have been taken in collections from the following 

 localities : 



CALIFORNIA.— Riverside County {Near Morino, U.S.N.M.; 

 Son Jacinto^ Stanford). San Bernardino County {Reche Canyon, 

 M.V.Z.U.C.). San Diego County {Oak Grove, Stanford: San Diego, 

 U.S.N.M., M.C.Z.). 



LOWER CALIFORNIA.— Northern district {Las Oahras, 

 C.A.S.; Evsenada, C'.A.S.; ^ imles east of Ensenada, C.A.S. ; San 

 Quentin, C.A.S. ; Saiv Telmo, C.A.S. ; 6 miles east of San Telmo, 

 C.A.S. ; hetween San Vincente and Salado, Stanford). Central dis- 

 trict {San Ignado, M.V.Z.U.C.) . Cape District {La Paz, U.S.N.M. ; 

 Magdaleva Bay, C.A.S.; Magdalena Island, C.A.S.; Pichilinque Bay, 

 U.S.N.M.; Puerto Escondido, C.A.S.; San Evaristo, CAS.). 



The rather frequent appearance of specimens with a single dorsal 

 line and those Avith tAvo or three dorsal lines in one place has made 

 it impossible to recognize any subspecies on this kind of character. 



)'. hyperythra schmidti was said to have the supraoculars nor- 

 mally four. In the collection of the California Academy of Sciences 

 (G2 specimens, identified by Doctor Van Denburgh as schmidti) over 

 IG per cent have three supraoculars, and one specimen was found 

 which had three supraoculars on one side and four on the other. 

 Also, the second supraocular was said to be usually without gran- 

 ules in schmidti. Five exceptions were found in Van Denburgh's 

 series, mentioned above, and others have been seen elsewhere. The 



