CROCODILIANS, LIZARDS, AND SNAKES, 



1113 



TANTILLA PLANICEPS Blainville. 



TanlUla j)laniceps Cope, Proc, Acad. Nat. Sci. I'hilu., 1861, ]>. 74. — Proc. U. S. Nat. 



Mus., XIV, 1891, p. 597. 

 Coluher planiceps Blainville, Nouv. Anu. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, III, 1834, p. 62, 



pi. XXVII, ligs. 3, 3a, 3ft. 

 Bovialoaanivm planiceps DUM^RIL and Bibijox, Krp. (irii., VII, 1854, p. 857. — 



BocouRT, Miss. Sci. Mex., 1883, p. 581, \A. xxxvi, fig. 7.— Jan, Icon. Gon, 



Opliid.,Pt. 15, pi. II, fig. 2. 



Blainville describes this species as follows : 



Uniform reddish above, of a soiled white beneath, Avith *a black ])atch on the 

 occiput and the beginning of the neck. 



Body slender, rather elongated, cylindrical; head small, depressed, but little 

 distinct; snout short and elliptical; tail rather long, slender, and very much taper- 

 ing, one-fourth of the total length. Nostrils lateral, very small, situated in the 

 middle of the nasal, which is elongated and single. Eyes of medium size. Mouth 

 broad, considerably cleft; anus far back. Cephalic plates: two prefrontals and two 

 postfrontals. No loral. One anterior and one postorbital. Abdominal scntellfe 

 one hundred and thirty-four, beginning at some distance from the head. Subcaudal, 

 fifty-six. Scales broad, convex, very smooth, opalescent, obli(iuely imbricated. 



It was described from specimens obtained in Lower California by 

 Botta. It lias not yet come into the bands of American naturalists. 



TANTILLA NIGRICEPS Kennicott. 



TantiUa nigriceps Kennicott, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, p. 328.— Cope, 



Check-list N. Amer. Batr. Rept., 1875, p. 35. 

 Scolecoiihis fnmkeps Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, p. 371. 

 Homalocranium prwocuhim BocoURT, Miss. Sci. Mex., Rept., 1883, p. 582, pi. xxxAi, 



fig. 8. 



Form more slender and head narrower than in T. (jracilis. Frontal 

 plate more elongate pos- 

 teriorly, parietals narrower. 

 One anteorbital, two post- 

 orbitals, the former in con- 

 tact with loreal. Seven up- 

 per labials, the last largest, 

 the third and fourth enter- 

 ing orbit. Temporals 1-1, 

 both longer than wide. 

 Color (in alcohol) uniform 

 brownish white above, 

 lighter beneath. Crown as 



far as behind the occipitals black, sometimes dark brown ; no indication 

 of a postoccipital black ring, as in T. coronata. 



Cat. Nos. Scales. Upper labi.ils. Gastrosteges. Troateges 



Fig. 319. 



TANTILLA NIGRICEPS KENNICOTT. 

 X 2. 



Dallas, Texas. 



Collection of K. 1). Cope. 



2039. 



11766. 



15. 

 1.5. 



157 -f- 1. 

 168 + 1. 



39. 

 66. 



Length. 

 mm. 



295. 



312. 



Tail. 

 mm. 



54. 



79. 



The specimens from Fresno, California (Cat. iSTo. 1176), represent a dis- 



