CROCODILIANS, LIZARDS, AND SNAKES. 911 



twenty -three; and in the O.y. hoylii they may number twenty- three or 

 twenty- five. The cliaracters based on color indicate natural ideograph- 

 ical subspecies, but the transitions from one to the other are not lack- 

 ing. The subspecies are defined as follows : 



1. Scales iu 21 to2;irows. 



Scales with yellow centers, sometimes collected iuto cross bands ou the buck; 

 head yellow-spotted above O.g. sayi. 



Narrow, white, dorsal cross bands, bifurcating on the flanks to embrace alter- 

 nating black areas; head white-spotted above; or uniform black above; below 

 with white spots ; head spots few O.g. gefulus. 



2. Scales in 23 to 25 rows. 



Scales of the sides with yellow or white centers; median dorsal region l)lack, 

 with cross bands of scales with yellow centers ; top of head, except muzzle, 

 black O.g. splendidua. 



Elack with complete white annuli, which are wider on the sides than on the 

 back ; top of head black, of mnzzle white O.g. hoijlii. 



Black, with more or less numerous longitudinal stripes above and on the sides; 

 parts of annuli present or absent; top of head black; top of muzzle Avhite. 



O. g. California. 



The geographical distribution of these subspecies is well defined. 

 Thus the O.g. sayi belongs to the Austrorii^arian region west of the 

 Allegheny Mountains, and of the central region north to latitude 42°. 

 The 0. g. (jre^MZw,? occupies the Austroripariau and Eastern regions north 

 to about latitude 42°. The 0. g. splendidus is the type of the Sonoran 

 . district, and the 0. g. hoylii of the Pacific. The 0. g. californiw proba- 

 bly comes from the Lower Californian, but our specimens came from 

 the southern part of the Pacific region. 



This is the largest species of the genus, and is beautiful in all its 

 forms. It is thoroughly harmless to mankind and can be handled to 

 any extent M'ithout showing fear or anger. 



OPHIBOLUS GETULUS SAYI Holbrook. 



Ophiholus gefulus sagi Cope, Check-list N. Amer. Batr. Rept., 1875, p. 37. 

 Corondla sayi Holhrook, N. Amer. Ilerp., Ill, 1842, p. 99, pi. xxii. — Dcmkkil 



and BiHRON, Erp. Ccn., VII, 1854, p. 619.— Gunthkh, Cat. Col. Snakes Brit. 



Mus., 1858, p. 41. 

 Coluber sayi DeKay, N. York Fauna, Rept., 1842, jy. 41. 



Ophibolus sayi Baiud and Gikakd, Cat. N. Amer. Rept., I't. 1, Sorp., 1853, p. 84. 

 Lampropeltis sayi Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, p. 254. 

 Herpetodryas getulus ScHLEGEL, Ess. Phys. Serp., II, 1837, p. 198. 

 Coronella getulus var. sayi Jan, Icon. G^n. Ophid., Pt. 14, pi. v, fig. 2. 



Body, as in most of the other species, very tense and rigid, Avith dif- 

 ficulty capable of being extended after immersion in alcohol. Yertical 

 plate triangular, wider than long; outer edge slightly convex, an angle 

 being faintly indicated at the Junction of the superciliaries and occip- 

 itals; sliorter tiian the occipitals, which are short, longer than broad. 

 Postfrontals large, broad; anterior smaller. Rostral small, not pro- 

 jecting, slightly wedged between prefrontals. Eye very small, orbit 



