78 SCOTOPHIS. 



The whole body and head are much stouter. Exterior eicht rows 

 smooth, rest sh'ghtly carinated. The vertical is broad before, 

 rather acute behind. A probably monstrous feature is seen in the 

 union of the two postfrontals, except for a short distance before, and 

 in the loral and postnasal coalescing into one trapezoidal plate. 

 Blotches less numerous. A broad vitta across the back part of the 

 postfrontals, passing backwards and downwards through the eye, and 

 terminating acutely on the posterior upper labial. A blotch across 

 the back part of the vertical, and extending through the occipitals 

 on each side to the nape. The spots are larger, longitudinal through- 

 out, with occasional exceptions. 



Its aflBnities to S. vu?2iinus are close. The vertical, however, is 

 narrow, the eyes much larger, dorsal rows 29 instead of 25. The 

 blotches on the back are longitudinal, and fewer in number. For 

 the full description of this species also, it will be necessary to pro- 

 cure larger specimens. 

 Eed River, Ark. 227. 77. 29. 18. 3}. Capts. Marcy & M'Clellan. 



6. ScotopliiS gaittatus, B. & G.— Head narrow. Dorsal rows 27, 

 outer one scarcely larger ; abdominal scutella; 215-235. A series of quadrate 

 brick-red blotches, intervals lighter. Two light frontlets on the head, mar- 

 gined with black, enclosing a dark red stripe which passes through the eye, 

 across the mouth to the neck. 



Syn. Coluber guttatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 385. — Gm. Linn. Syst. 

 Nat. ed. xiii, I, iii, 1788, 1110.— Hael. Journ. Acad. Nat. So. Philad. V, 

 1827, 363; and Med. & Phys. Res. 1835, 126.-Schl. Ess. Phys. Serp. Part, 

 descr. 1837, 168.— Holbr. N. Amer. Herp. II, 1838, 109. PI. xxiv; and 2d 

 ed. Ill, 1842, 65. PI. xiv. 



Head elongated, outline nearly straight, and transversely tapering 

 from the sides of the occiput to the subtruncate snout. Vertical 

 large, longer than wide, pentagonal, with the lateral margins at a 

 very slight angle with each other. Occipitals rather narrow. Eye 

 moderate; centre rather in advance of junction of 4th and 5th 

 labials ; orbit above the whole of these labials. Labials 8 above, 

 penultimate the largest; 11 below. 



Body elongated, decidedly compressed to the tip of the tail. Dor- 

 sal rows 27. Carination very obsolete, visible only on the 13 central 

 rows, and there very indistinctly; not evident on the tail. Scales 



