294 niinols Sfafe Lahorafonj of NaturdJ Hisfori/. 



neck. Tail cylindrical, tapering, short. All the dorsal scales 

 smooth. Rostral plate wider than high, strongly convex, dis- 

 tinctly but obtusely angulate on each side at the line of union 

 of the anterior nasal and first labial plates, faintly angulate on 

 each side between the anterior nasal and the internasal, and 

 with an evident obtuse angle between the internasals. Frontal 

 rather short and wide, its anterior margin nearly straight, late- 

 ral margin converging posteriorly, acutely angulate behind. 

 Loreal plate quadrangular. One large anteorbital. Eye small. 

 Two postorbitals (three on one side in one example studied). 

 Two elongate temporals wedged between the parietals and the 

 fifth and sixth supralabials. Seven supralabials, the eye above 

 the third and fourth, fifth and sixth largest. Nine infralabials, 

 fifth largest, fourth next. Dorsal scales in twenty-five rows. 

 Ventrals 199-207. Subcaudals 43-47. 



Color above olive-brown, with a dorsal series of from fifty- 

 three to fifty-nine transverse dorsal brown blotches, each mar- 

 gined with three, or, where the spots fuse, two, series of small 

 brown spots. Beneath yellowish white (in alcohol), with ob- 

 solete dusky blotches. A brown band, edged with blackish 

 brown extends backwards on the neck from the outer margin 

 of the parietal of each side. A brown spot on the frontal and 

 parietals includes a small pale spot which lies partly upon the 

 tip of the frontal. An obscure dark brown bar extends from 

 orbit to orbit on the posterior portions of the prefrontals. 

 Another bar extends from the e3^e to the angle of the mouth. 

 The spots of the median dorsal row are about two and a half 

 scales long and eleven wide. Posteriorly some of them are 

 emarginate before and behind. Described from two examples 

 in the Laboratory collection. 



Total length of example from Pekin 40.7."'» ; tail 5.25. 



Occurs on prairies throughout the State. Not very com- 

 mon. Pekin, southern Illinois (Mus. N. W. Univ.), Mt. Car- 

 mel (Nat. Mus.). 



This species bears a very strong resemblance in the char- 

 acter of the j)lates of the head and the character and disposition 

 of the spots to Ela/this (jiiffatus. It has the same small eye^ 

 the same transverse baud between the orbits, the ol)lique band 



