134 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



with yellow, on the temple abruptly bounded above by the olive in a line to 

 rictus. Labial plates with a yellow blotch in the middle. An indistinct 

 brown band on each side the head from the occipitals backwards. Throat 

 bright yellow, with black blotches behind, which continues on the anterior 

 fourth the length. Belly brown, clouded yellow laterally, becoming blacker 

 behind; tail yellow below. 



Total length 22 in. 4 1.; of tail 3 in. ; of gape 11 1. 



This, the brightest species of the genus, was brought from Lake Jose Assu 

 by the Thayer Expedition to Brazil, under direction of Professor Agassiz. 

 M. C. Z. 362. 



EUTJENIA Bd. Gird. 

 Edt^nia phenax C<5pe, sp. nov. 



This is a handsome and peculiar species, being the only one of the genus 

 which is cross-banded. 



Scales in nineteen rows. All keeled except the first. General form much 

 as in E. sirtalis. Head rather short, muzzle obtuse, eye large, supercili- 

 ary plates arched. Diameter of eye equal from same to rostral plate along 

 the labials. Frontal shortened behind, with straight sides, -75 of parietal 

 common suture. Parietals truncate behind. Upper labials eight, fourth and 

 fifth in orbit. Loreal longer than high, one preocular, temporals 1 — 2. In- 

 ferior labials nine, sixth largest ; genials equal. Urosteges 63 ; anal 1 ; 

 gastrosteges 161. 



Total length 23 in. 5 1.; of tail 5 in. ; to rictus oris 9 lin. 



Coloration. Above reddish-olive, crossed by thirty-six transverse spots, 

 which are of a bright brownish-red, with a narrow black margin. They are 

 separated by transverse intervals of only a scale in width, hence the black 

 margins appear as paired cross-bars. These cross-bars extend to the first 

 row of scales, and are as often continuous on the side as not. There is no 

 lateral stripe, but there are black spots on the corner of the end of the gas- 

 trosteges. The margin of the first brown spot is in form of two black lines, 

 diverging from the parietal plates backwards. There is a brown bar in front 

 of frontal, one on the frontal and superciliaries behind (imperfect), and a 

 longitudinal on each parietal. No pair of light parietal spots. Labials below 

 eye with the last black-margined, otherwise light olive. Below, a strong 

 green, unspotted. 



This species is common near Cordova, Vera Cruz, whence Francis Sumi- 

 chrast has sent specimens to the Smithsonian Inst, and Mus. A. N. S. 



MASTICOPHIS Bd. Gird. 



Masticophis melanolomus Cope, sp. nov. 



A slender species, with one preopercular plate, and smooth scales in fifteen 

 longitudinal series. Loreal an elongate parallelogram, not encroaching on 

 the preocular. Postoculars two, the inferior very small. Superior labials 

 nine, the fourth, fifth and sixth in orbit, seventh subtriangular, eighth and 

 ninth longer than high. The last mentioned are separated from occipitals 

 by two horizontal series of temporals, each of three plates, the anterior of the 

 lower, and posterior of the upper, the longest, lower posterior widest. Occi- 

 pitals broadly emarginate behind, their width in front equal the common 

 suture and four-fifths frontal plate. Latter much narrowed : superciliaries 

 broad, projecting. laternasals a little longer than broad, rostral just visible 

 from above. Inferior labials ten, postgenials considerably longer than pre- 

 genials. A row of plates in an open chevron bounds the occipitals and tem- 

 porals behind. Scales of body not narrowed ; anal as in the genus, divided. 



Gastrosteges 184; urosteges 128. Total length 44 in. 3 1. ; of tail 14 in. ; 

 of rictus oris 1 in. 1 1. 



Coloration grayish-olive, all the scales with a narrow black border, which 

 become longitudinal lines on the posterior part of the length ; one of these, 



[March, 



