2S4 Illinois State Laboratory of Natttral History. 



Herpetodrijas dfitiviis. Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., VII., 1854, p. 209, 

 Ct/rlophis (vs-tiriis: Davis and Kice, Jiull. 111. State Lab. Nat. 



Hist., I., No. 5, 188:^, p. ;W; Bull. Chicago Acad., 1883.-8. 



Garman, ISIem. Mas. Comp. Zoul., 1883, pp. 40, 140, pi. 3, tig. 1 . 

 l'/i!/Jtoj)/n'/i)p/tis (istirifs. S. Garman, List N. A. Kept, and liatr. 



i:ssex Inst., 1884. 



Small. Body long and slender. Head long, wide behind, 

 narrowing forward. Neck slender. Tail long, slender and 

 tapering. Dorsal scales, excepting the two outer rows of each 

 side, distinctly carinated. Rostral plate large, convex, with a 

 lunate impression below, obtusely angulate between the inter- 

 nasals. Frontal plate elongate, pentagonal, narrowed behind. 

 Loreal quadrangular. One anteorbital (three on each side in an 

 example from southern 111.). Twopostorbitals. Seven or eight 

 supralabials; center of the eye behind the line of junction of 

 the third and fourth, sixth largest. Eight infralabials, fourth 

 and fifth largest. Ventrals 150-165. Subcaudals 111-135, 



Color above pale green. Supralabials and entire under 

 surface greenish white. 



Total length, 27.25; tail, 9.75. 



Southern Illinois, common. Mt. (^armel (Ridgway), 

 Anna (Butler), Pine Hills, Union county. 



Easily distinguished from Cyclophis vernalis. From the 

 strong resemblance of this small serpent to some of the tree-in- 

 habiting species of the tropics one would infer that its habits 

 were similar, but instead, as observed by Prof. Cope in an 

 example kept by him in confinement, it remains under-ground 

 most of the time with the head and neck exposed and motion- 

 less, a habit which may serve it in eluding its enemies or bring- 

 ing the insects on which it feeds within its reach. Those we 

 have collected were found among herbage, in situations similar 

 to those in which Cyclophis vernalis occurs. 



Coluber, Linn. 



Linn.. Syst. Nat, 1748, p. 34. 



IM. and Gir . Bascanion, Cat. N. A. Hept., Pt. I., 1853, p. '.13. 



S. (iarraan, (in part) Mem. Mus. Corap. Zo('il., 18S3, p. 40. 



Dorsal scales smooth, in seventeen rows. Anal plate 

 divided. Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two prefrontals. 



