952 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1898. 



and a half scales long. There is a black patch on the head from the 

 middle of the frontal to the posterior border of the occipital shields. 

 No dark color on any of the nnder surface. No puncta? on the scales. 



Cat. No. 12630 ; upper labials, 7 ; gasti-osteges, 108 + 1 ; urostegee, 26 ; rows of scales, 

 13; total leugth, 235 mm. ; tail, 33 mm. 



ChilomenisGus fasciatus Cope. 



CHILOMENISGUS CINCTUS Cope. 



Chilomenisciis cinctus Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila,, 1861, p. 303; Check-list 

 N. Amer. Batr. Rept., 1875, p. 35. 



Eostral plate projecting far backward, entirely separating the pre- 

 frontals, encroaching upon the postfrontals ; the latter are in contact 

 with the labials. Nostril connected by suture with the fronto-nasal 

 suture. One very small preocular, two postoculars. Seven superior 

 labials, the first longitudinal, the remainder vertical, except the last 

 two, which are nearly equilateral. Symphyseal in contact with geneials. 

 Scales broad, very smooth, in thirteen rows. Tail very short. Gastros- 

 teges, eleven, one divided anal; urosteges, twenty-one i)airs. Total 

 length seven inches, tail eight lines. Ground color white, with a red- 

 dish tinge, encircled by sixteen black rings upon the body and three 

 upon the tail. These rings are four or five scales in width, and sep- 

 arated by equal spaces ; they are narrower on the belly. The head is 

 black from the extremities of the occipital plates to the anterior part 

 of the vertical and to the second labial plate. Chin shaded with black. 



One specimen is preserved in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 

 Cambridge, Massachusetts, and I am indebted to Dr. Alexander Agassiz 

 for the opportunity of studying it. Two others are in the U. S. National 

 Museum. 



Ckilomeniscus cinctus Cope. 



HYPSIGLENA Cope. 



Hypaiglena Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., June, 1860, p. 240; Bull. U. S. Nat. 

 Mu8., No. 32, 1887, p. 54; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIV, 1892, p. 617.— Boulenger, 

 Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., II, 1894, p. 208. 

 Faeudodipsas Peters, Mouatsber. Berlin Akad. Wiss., 1860, p. 521. 

 Comastes Jan, Elenco Sist. Otid., 1863, p. 102. 

 Dentition diacranterian ; that is, a long, smooth, posterior superior 

 maxillary tooth, separated from the anterior by an edentulous space. 



