CROCODILIANS, LIZARDS, AND SNAKES. 801 



Gastrosteges. Urosteges. Length. TaiL 



South Carolina 202 + 1. 96. 44. 10^. 



Between Sail Autonio and El Paso 193 + 1. 100. 57|. 17^. 



Do 196 + 1. 100. 65^. 1.5J. 



New Braunfels, Texas 196 + 1. 94. 69^. 15J. 



Red River, Arkansas . 191 + 1. ?. 57^. f. 



The color variations of this species are as follows: In half-grown 

 Eastern specimens the head is light brown, with darker cross shades on 

 the head and nape. In adult P^astern specimens the head and from 

 one fourth to two thirds the length of the body are deep brown. In 

 Texan adult specimens the anterior regions are sometimes of a strong 

 brown color, but generally they are pale, the top of the head only 

 being of a light brown. In adults from the Sonoran and Pacific regions 

 the posterior part of the head and several wide cross-bands on the 

 nape are of a dark brown or even of a blackish color. In specimens 

 from Arizona these are followed by pink cross-bands, which appear 

 only on the anterior fourth or fifth of the length of the body. In Cali- 

 fornian specimens in the National Museum these j)ink cross-bands 

 appear indistinctly. In specimens from La Paz, at the southern 

 extremity of Lower California, the entire body is a citron yellow, with 

 some black appearing between the scales when the skin is stretched. 

 The head and nape are spotted as in the Californian individuals. In 

 young specimens from Georgia and Florida, as well as from the West, 

 the chin throat and anterior part of the belly for a short distance 

 are spotted by ill-defined spots of light brown. These are represented 

 by cloudy shades, or are entirely lost in the prevailing brown color in 

 Eastern adult specimens. In Texan specimens they disappear entirely 

 in some large adults. In Sonoran and Californian specimens tliey con- 

 tinue pernmneutly, the spots forming a row on each side of the ante- 

 rior part of the bellj^, and blotching the inferior and superior labials. 

 The speckled brown of the temporal region is divided by a pale line 

 extending from the eye i)Osteriorly. 



In younger specimens the blotching beneath is more decided. In 

 addition to tlie colors described, the back is crossed by indistinct bars 

 of darker, eight or nine scales wide and half a scale long. This color 

 is also seen on the skin between the scales under the dark bars, where 

 the bases of the scales themselves are darker instead of liglit. There 

 is a tendency toward stripes on the side: First, one of light brown on 

 the outer edge of the abdomen; then an interrupted yellow one at the 

 junction of the abdominal scutelhc and outer scales; then brown again 

 through the centers of the rows. This, however, is not very conspicu- 

 ous. Sometimes the dark shades on the sides are linged with reddish. 

 The obsolete transverse bars are seen at intervals of one or two scales. 



Gastrosteges. Urosteges. Scales. Length. Tail. 

 Between Indianola and San Antonio. 



(Col. J. D. Graham) 197+2. 96. 17. 41^. 10. 



Indianola. (Col. J. 1). Graham) 194+2. 110. 17. 40. 10^. 



T)o 197+2. 110. 17. 34J. 9.' 



NAT MUS 98 51 



