PITUOPHIS. 71 



5. Pitlioplli!^ WiBkcsii, B. & G. — Head elongated, conical fur- 

 vrai-ds. Vertical plate pentagonal, much broader anteriorly than posteri- 

 orly. Eostral broad. Anteorbitals 2; postorbitals 3. Loral trapezoidal. 

 Dorsal rows of scales 29-31 ; three outer rows smooth. Tail ^ or | of total 

 length. Frontal black bar well marked. Postocular vitta extending over 

 the last upper labial to the angle of the mouth. Color of body whitish yel- 

 low on the sides, reddish yellow above, with a dorsal series of subquadrate 

 blotches, 70 in number, from the head to origin of the tail, and proportion- 

 ally smaller than in any other species. The blotches of the two adjoining 

 series not confluent with those of the medial one. 



Head elongated, subelliptical, subpyramidal, or subconical anteri- 

 orly. Occipital plates much longer than broad, longer than either 

 the vertical or superciliaries. Vertical pentagonal, concave laterally, 

 tapering ; length greater than the width of its anterior margin. Ex- 

 ternal postfrontals sometimes divided into two plates, one of which 

 has been called upper loral. Internal postfrontals elongated, very 

 narrow posteriorly, sometimes also subdivided. Rostral broad, not 

 separating the prefrontals. Nasals equal in size ; nostrils intermediate 

 and nearer to the frontals than labials. Loral not very largo. In- 

 ferior anteorbitals small, and situated between the 4th and 5th upper 

 labials. Postorbitals nearly equal in size, and generally contiguous 

 to the anterior ones, thus excluding the labials from the orbit, into 

 which, however, the fifth occasionally enters. Temporal shields 

 scarcely to be distinguished from the scales. Upper labials 8 or 9, 

 4th or 5th occasionally coming into the orbit, penultimate the largest. 

 Lower labials 12 or 13, 5th or 6th the largest, the six posterior ones 

 very much reduced. Dorsal . scales elliptical, forming 29-31 rows, 

 the three outer rows perfectly smooth, slight carinae on the 4th, 5th, 

 and Gth rows, and not very conspicuous on the remaining ones. 

 Tail conical and tapering. 



Ground-color yellowish, with a dorsal series of subquadrate blotches, 

 about 90 in number, 20 of which on the tail. These are deep 

 brown, margined with black anteriorly, entirely black posteriorly ; 

 these blotches cover transversely 8 or 9 rows of scales, embracing 

 hmgitudinally five to seven scales on the anterior region of the body, 

 and two or three posteriorly. The spaces between the blotches are 

 of the uniform width of one scale for the whole length of the body, 

 decidedly narrower than in other species. A lateral series of blotclses 

 on each side of the medial, covering three rows of scales, and alter- 



