CROCODILIANS, LIZARDS, AND SNAKES. 999 



arched. The center of the orbit anterior to the middle of the lip mar- 

 gin. The rostral is visible from above; the nasals approach so as to 

 reduce the internasals to a subtriaiigular form each, of which the mid- 

 dle and i)osterior sutures are e(iual. The frontal is long and with 

 parallel sides, its length exceeding that of the head in front of it. The 

 parietals are still longer and wide, with subtruncate outline behiud. 

 Loreal i)late liighe)' than long, half the length of the single preocular, 

 which does not reach the frontal. Postoculars two; temporals 1-2, the 

 first in contact with three labials. Superior labials eight, their height 

 subequal, the fourth and fifth bounding the orbit. Inferior labials 

 nine, six in contact with geneials, five witji the first, two with the 

 second geneial; latter subecpial. Scales in seventeen series, those of 

 first deeper than long. Those of sides at vent and of basal two-tliirds 

 of the tail roof-shaped or obtusely keeled. About one sixth of the 

 length in front of and behind the vent 

 compressed, the dorsal outline keel-formed. 

 Gastrosteges, 120; urosteges, 51. 



Coloration above black, with a very faint, 

 pale line along the center of each scale of 

 several lateral series. The lines are more 

 distinct near the vent and on the tail, and 

 heighten the effect of carime produced by 



, , 1 , . _(. , , 1 -r> j-i 1 Skminatrix pyg^a Cope. 



the angulation of the scales. Beneath pale 



in the alcoholic specimen; in life, belly rioiida 



with the tail red; each scutum with a short 



black crossbar at its ends on the anterior margin. These cease a 



short distance anterior to the vent. 



This species was discovered by Edward Tatnall, of Wilmington, Del- 

 aware, at Volusia, Florida. Since then others have been found at 

 various points in the peninsula, among others at I^ake Tarr, whence 

 specimens have been sent to the Philadelpliia Zoological Garden. 



Without examining the vertebrje I originally referred this si)ecies to 

 Contia, as its smooth scales did not suggest reference to the water 

 snakes. Subsecjuently Dr. Boulenger, in the Catalogue of Snakes in 

 the British Museum, placed it in Tropi(}o)toi^t^. To determine the 

 question by the penial test I later examined the male organ and found 

 that Dr. Boulenger's estimate of its affinities was entirely correct. I, 

 however, think its peculiarities entitle- it to generic separation from 



Concerning this species Dr. Einar Loennberg' says: 



I liave l)ut riirely found this little snake ont of water, and in such cases only under 

 some log or board mar the water's edy^e. It is common around the borders of the 

 small lakes in Orange County, where 1 have seen and caught specimens in I^ake 

 Eola, Orlando, in and around some snuill lakes near ("larcona, Toronto, Apopka, and 

 other places. 



Fig. 267. 



'Notes on Reptiles and liatrachians collected in Florida in 1S92 and 18II3. Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus., XVII, 1894, p. 317. 



