56 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.» 



Body color whitish or buff, h'ghter on the sides. The dorsal 

 spots are larger than in catenifer, and range from 25-35 on the 

 body and 5-8 on the tail; they are blackish brown, more or less 

 marked with paler brown on their centres; two or three series of 

 rather indistinct spots on the sides; belly ivory white, with brown 

 spots on the ends of the ventrals at intervals of about four 

 scales. There are no distinct head bands in adults, though they 

 are shown by the young. The top of the head is yellow, each 

 plate more or less marked by pale brown; labials margined Avith 

 brown. Of nearly one hundred Florida specimens which I have 

 seen, all were uniformly tinged with rusty brown over the whole 

 upper surface. Ventrals 210-230; subcaudals 52-65. The largest 

 which I have measured was 1,837 mm. long (tail 185). 



Hab. — New Jersey to Ohio, and south to the Gulf coast; most 

 common along the seacoast. 



ZAMENIS AVagler. 



Syst. Amph., 188 (1830); Bascanion and Masticoplm B. and G., I. c, 

 93, 98 ; Bascanivtm Cope, I. c, 621 ; Zamenis fpart) BouL, I. c, 1, 

 379, and Cope, Eep. Nat. 3Ius., 787. 



Maxillary teeth smooth, increasing gradually behind, with some- 

 times a slight interspace; one loreal; two preoculars, the lower 

 very small; two nasals; two internasals; scales smooth or faintly 

 keeled, with pits; anal divided; body long and slender; head 

 distinct. 



Hab. — Europe, Asia and North America. 



The North American species (= Bascanium B. and G. ) have a 

 purely syncranterian dentition and smooth scales. The forms 

 inhabiting the southern tier of states are puzzling in the extreme. 

 To reach conclusions which shall at least have the merit of con- 

 sistency, the changes which take place with growth in the best- 

 known species from the eastern Gulf States, Z. f. flagellum, must 

 be considered. Here the young are pale brownish with narrow, 

 darker cross-bauds on the whole upper surface; an occasional 

 specimen also shows indistinct wider cross-bands anteriorly. The 

 outer four or five rows of scales (rather more anteriorly) have 

 pale edges, leaving a narrow dark line on the centre of each scale, 

 giving the appearance of four or five narrow broken stripes 

 on the sides. In eastern examples these markings usually disap- 

 pear with age, although the cross-bands occasioually persist. From 

 Texas westward there are forms in which the cross-bands have 



