1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 49 



circumscribed geographical range, are quite enough, in my opinion, 

 to compel recognition of this subspecies. 



Coluber obsoletus confinis B. and G. 



Scotophis confinis nnd S. Imtus B. and G., I. c, 76, 77 ; ElapJiis spil- 

 oides Dum. and Bib., I. c, VII, 209; Coluber confinis, G. sjnloides 

 and C. 0. Icmniscatas Cope, I. c, 633, 634, 63.5, and Hep. Nat. Mus., 

 829, 841, 849 ; G. Imtus (part) Boul., I. c, II, 49 ; C. Imtus Cope, Rep. 

 Nat. Mas., 850. 



Frontal rather longer than wide, a little longer than the snout ; 

 temporals 2 (l}-3; upper labials 8, fourth and fifth in eye; five 

 lower labials touching the anterior chin shields; scales in 27-25 

 rows, eleven or thirteen .slightly keeled; ventrals 231-258; sub- 

 caudals 75-96. 



Ashy or yellowish gray above, with dark brown dorsal spots 

 narrowly margined with black, five or six scales long and thirteen 

 to fifteen wide, longitudinally quadrate in shape ; interspaces about 

 two scales long; on the second to fifth rows the lateral spots are 

 elongated, and exhibit sometimes a disposition to form an indistinct 

 stripe; belly yellow, clouded posteriorly and with dark spots on 

 the ends of the ventrals and the outer scale rows ; a dark post- 

 ocular stripe, some indistinct mottling on borders of the labials, but 

 no distinct head bands in adults. 



Hab. — From Virginia to Florida, west to Missouri and Texas. 



I am not able to satisfy myself that spiloklea Dum, and Bib. and 

 Icetus B. and G. are distinct from the present form ; Cope, indeed, 

 places them in three different sections of Coluber, assigning a 

 different number of anterior temporals to each — one to confinis, two 

 to spiloides and three to Icetus. But the single specimen in his own 

 collection, considered by him to be confinis, has two, which is the 

 normal number; while the figures of Icetus given by Baird in 

 Marcy's Report of the Red River Exp., PL VI, and Pcic. R. R. 

 Survey, PL XXX, fig. 53, both represent that species as also 

 having two. (The three temporals in Cope's fig. 196 (p. 851) 

 have every appearance of abnoi'mality.) The difference in pattern 

 slated in the description of Icetus is probably accounted for by the 

 youth of the type, which is but 460 mm. long, while the occur- 

 rence of 25 rows, as in spiloides, is quite nr^rmal, and 29, as in 

 Icetus, would not be startling in C. o. confinis. 



