94 BASCANION. 



anteorbital very small, wedged in between the upper anteorbital, the 

 loral, the 3d labial, and the eye. Loral trapezoidal, oblique, mode- 

 rate. Labials above 7 ; the 1st, 3d, and 5th smaller than the rest, 

 the 3d and 4th entei-ing into the orbit ; the 4th the only one in con- 

 tact with the lower postorbital ; 6th and 7th largest. Lower labials 

 8, the 5th much the largest. Two rows of temporal scales between 

 the labials and occipitals. Exterior row of dorsal scales very large, 

 diminishing gradually on the back. Scales very thin, the posterior 

 angle moderately truncate, so as to give an elongated hexagonal shape 

 to the exposed portion. Exposed surface of exterior row nearly as 

 high as long. 



Color above uniform lustrous pitch-black, beneath slate-color, some- 

 times tinged with greenish white. Lower jaw and chin, and some- 

 times edge of the upper labials white. Specimens from the South 

 and South-west, as preserved in alcohol, are apt to exhibit an olive- 

 green tinge, sometimes a dark blue, and occasionally the whole under 

 surface has a decided greenish white color. In one or two specimens 

 there is but one anteorbital. 



As is usually the case, the young of this species are variegated in 

 color instead of being uniform. The ground-color is dark olive, with 

 a succession of darker rhomboidal dorsal blotches from head to tail. 

 These are about nine scales wide, and four or five long, separated by 

 lighter intervals, which, narrow along the back, widen of course 

 rapidly towards the abdomen. The edge ot each scale is obsoletely 

 lighter than the centre, the dark centres in some scales being of such 

 intensity as to produce the impression of distinct spots, especially on 

 the sides. Along the vertebral region, the margins of the blotches 

 are narrowly darker, and those of the intervals lighter than on the 



