1114 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1898. 



tinct variety. The black of tbe vertex extends on the sides of tlie head 

 across the angle of the mouth to a short distance below it. It is 

 squarely truncate behind by a narrow pale collar, which is again 

 followed by a transverse row of brown specks, representing the collar 

 of the T. coronata. A specimen from the Wichita River, northern 

 Texas, the most northern locality known, has two i^reoculars ou both 

 sides. 



Tantilla nigrice/ps Kennicott. 



Catalogue 

 No. 



4755 

 2039 

 11766 

 15669 

 19674 

 15669 

 22378-80 



22386 



Number 

 of speci- 

 mens. 



Locality. 



Port Riley, Kansas 



Gila River, New Mexico . . 



Fresno, Cali fornia 



Sau Diego, Texas 



Fort Htiacluica, Arizona.. 



Sau Diego, Texas 



Mesilla Valley, New 



Mexico. 

 San Antonio, Texas 



When 

 collected . 



,1879 



From whom received. 



H. Brandt 



Dr. Thos. Webb 



Gustav Eisen 



W.Taylor 



Wilcox 



William Taylor 



T. D. A. Coc'kerell 



H. H. and C. S. Brimley. 



Nature of 

 specimen. 



Alcoholic, 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 



do. 



This species is abundant in western Texas. 



Mr. Bocourfc has described, under a distinct specific name, a speci- 

 men of this species which has abnormally two preocular plates. 



TANTILLA CORONATA Baird and Girard. 



Tantilla coronata Baird and Girard, Cat. Rept. N. Amor., Pt. 1, 8erp., 1853, p. 



131.— Cope, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1875, p. 144. 

 Homalocraniiim coronatum Bocourt, Mission Sci. de Mexiqne, Reptiles, 1883, p. 



589, pi. XXXVII, fig. 5. 

 Homalocranium wagnerii Jan, Icon. Gen. Ophid., Pt. 14, pi. ii, fig. 3. 



One anteorbital, two postorbitals. Body uniform reddish brown; 

 head deep chestnut-brown, with a black band across the neck above, in 

 advance of which is a narrow lighter space. 



Snout prominent. Vertical plate hexagonal, anteriorly and posteri- 

 orly acute. Occipital s slender, rounded 

 exteriorly. Postfrontals angular, excluded 

 from the orbit, though extending on the 

 sides of the head. Prefrontals triangular. 

 Eostral proportionally broad. ISTostrils 

 situated on the posterior margin of the 

 prenasal plate, and visible from above. 

 Postnasal elongated, contiguous anteri- 

 orly to the anteorbital plate, and above 

 to the postfrontal. Eyes rather small, 

 circular. Superciliaries proportionately 

 large, angular. Anteorbital one; post- 

 A large pretemporal shield and two smaller 

 Upper labials seven, seventh the 

 Inferior labials seven, fourth 



Fig. 320. 



Tantilla coronata Baird and 



Girard. 



X 2. 



Mississippi. 



Cat. No. 1875, U.S.N. M. 



orbitals two, all angular. 



ones behind. Mouth deeply cleft. 



largest, third and fourth beneath the eye. 



