1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PIIILADELrniA. 25 



Eutaenia eques Reuss. 



Coluber eques Reuss., Mns. Senck., I, 153 ;^^ E. cyrtopsis, E. c. ocellata 

 and E. aurata Cope, I. c, 656, 659 ; 2'. ordiiuitus var. eques (part) 

 Boul., I. c, I, 209 ; E. eques Cope, Rep. Nat. 3[us., 1049. 



Body moderately stout ; head broad behind ; eye large ; scales 

 in 19 rows, the outer smooth or faintly keeled ; upper labials 8; 

 oculars 1-3; temporals 1-3; posterior chin shields much the 

 longest. Brownish olive ; dorsal stripe narrow, said to be red in 

 life; laterals paler, on the second and third rows; two series of 

 large black spots between the dorsal and latei*al stripes; anteriorly 

 and on the middle of the body the spots often fuse transversely^ 

 forming zigzag bands; the spots encroach considerably upon the 

 stripes, sometimes breaking through the lateral one, especially 

 anteriorly; a third row of spots on the outer row of scales and the 

 ends of the ventrals; belly whitish, each scutum black at the base 

 on the ends; top of head olive; large and conspicuous nuchal 

 blotches; labials yellowish white borda^ed with black; chin yellow- 

 ish ; ventrals 151-169; subcaudals 0-1-74; tail about .23 of 

 length. 



According to Dr. Coues, this species grows to quite the size of 

 E. sirtalis around Fort Whipple, Ariz. 



E. cyrtopsis ocellata Cope was founded upon specimens collected 

 by G. W. Marnock at Helotes, Tex., in which the lateral stripe 

 is cut completely through in places by the lower row of dorsal 

 spots. There are two specimens in the Cope collection from the 

 same locality and collector; one in every way corresponds with 

 Kennicott's description of cyrtopsis, the other is ocellata for about 

 four inches behind the head, and eques on the rest of the body. 



It is not easy to reconcile the original description of E. aurata 

 Cope with the type and only specimen, which is simply a well- 

 fattened and stout eques, with the spots obscure, though indicated. 

 The specimen is mutilated and the brown color has disappeared in 

 the preservative fluid, but in every character not dependent upon 

 prominence of the spots, it belongs to the present species. 



Hab. — Western Texas to Arizona; northern Mexico. 



Eutaenia sirtalis L- 



Coluber sirtalis L., Sj^st. Nat., Ed. X, 22-2 (1758). 



This is rather a stout species; head distinct and moderately 

 large; tail from .20 to .25 of the length; oculars 1 (2)-3 (4); 



11 I have been unable to verify this reference, and it is adopted here on the 

 authority of Eoulenger and Cope. 



