CROCODILIANS, LIZARDS, AND SNAKES. 1043 



Form rather sleuder, the tail about one-fourth the total length. Head 

 very narrow and much elongated; the snout very narrow, but rather 

 obtuse. The back above the third row of scales is dark uniform brown- 

 ish lead-color without band, except a light olivaceous yellow; first 

 row of scales a little darker, and similar to the abdomen, being of a 

 very dull whitish olive. Bases of the scales of the first row black, form- 

 ing a row of from 74 to SO small spots; bases of abdominal scutes the 

 same, the color broader toward their extremities, and generally con- 

 cealed by the incumbent scute. A narrow slate-colored line along the 

 middle of the abdomen jwsteriorly. Head above, dark olive; superior 

 labials very light olive yellow, margined with black posteriorly, except- 

 ing the eighth. This is black anteriorly, its x)OSterior end being occu- 

 pied by a yellowish patch which is confluent with the yellow of the 

 neck. Lower postorbitals yellow. Two small yellow occipital dots and 

 a small yellow dot on each side of the posterior part of the vertical 

 plate; these sometimes absent. 



Toung specimens, and older ones, after the removal of the epidermis, 

 exhibit faint indications of a very narrow dorsal stripe upon a single 

 row of scales, but in one there is no trace of this, even upon the neck, 

 where it is usually visible. These specimens also exhibit traces of two 

 series of large alternating spots, which present somewhat the appear- 

 ance of a zigzag line. In a young specimen there is a distinct series of 

 spots on the first dorsal row, each spot covering one scale, and sepa- 

 rated from those adjacent by two scales. Only one sjjecimen is without 

 the dark line upon the abdomen posteriorly. There are no irregular 

 black blotches upon the abdomen as in U. angustirostris. In Cat. No. 

 11775 the small lateral spots are ninety-one in number, thus equaling 

 that seen in the U. e. vmjrans. 



The length of the tail varies within limits. Thus in Cat. No. 5219G it 

 enters the length four and one tenth times; in Cat. No. 8384, four and 

 three-fifth times, and in Cat. No. 8745, four and two-third times. 



Adults of this subspecies are generally easily recognized. Small 

 specimens approach corresponding ones of the U. e. vagrmis, since they 

 agree in the dark colored upper surface of the head, nuchal spots, and 

 labial borders. An adult (Cat. No. 860) from the Pitt Kiver, California, 

 resembles an adult J^. cvagrans more than usual, but has no dorsal 

 stripe except on the anterior frontal of the length. The nuchal spots 

 are distinct, and the labials are blackish bordered, but the gastrosteges 

 have black blotches at their middles and bases, as is not the case in 

 the other specimens of U. e. couchii. In this individual the muzzle is 

 elongate and more compressed than usual, resembling that of the 

 E. muWmacHlata. There are also four rows of temporals. This indi- 

 vidual represents a local race, and its habitat is out of the usual range 

 of the species. It is the one from which the description of the 

 E. couchii was drawn by Kennicott. 



The range of this subspecies is Southern California and Arizona. 



