1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. -39 



•tl>e Pacific coast the color darkens to olive, more or less yellowish 

 green beneath. 



I see no reason for regarding Z. stejnegerianns Cope as anything 

 more than the present subspecies with eight labials. The sub- 

 division of the loreal is so obviously abnormal that it is not worth 

 considering. The type and only specimen came from southeastern 

 Texas. 



Hab. — United States west of the Mississippi river. 



Zamenis flagellum Shaw. 



Coluhcr jiac/dlum Shaw, Gen. Zool., Ill, Pt. 11,475 (1802); Stej., Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus., 1894, 595. 



This species has the scutellation of Z. constrictor, but the labials 

 are 8 ; the frontal has half the width of the supraoculars behind ; 

 the muzzle is more elevated and the tail is longer; ventrals 184-- 

 210; subcaudals 80-112. 



The young are cross-banded, and this pattern persists in some 

 cases until they are grown. 



Hab. — Southern United States from Florida to California. 



There appear to be three color forms : 



Pale brown; dark brown anteriorly, ... 1. Z. f. fiagellum. 

 Brown ; narrow cross-bands in front, . . . 2. Z. f. frenatum. 

 Dark brown; pink beneath, Z. Z. j. jiiceus. 



Zamenis flagellum flagellum Shaw. 



I. c, 475 ; Mastic oplids flag elllformia and Coluber testaceus B. and G., 

 I. c, 98, 150 ; B. fl(ir/elliforme Cope, I. c, 625; Zamenis flagelU- 

 formis (part) Boul., I. c., I, 389 ; Z. /.flagellum (part) Cope, Rep. 

 Nat Mus., 799. 



Body slender with very long tail ; the upper preocular very 

 large; upper labials 8 (rarely 7); scales in 17 rows; ventrals 

 184-210; subcaudals 80-112. 



Reaches an extreme length of 1,800 mm. (tail 385 to 430). In 

 adults the head and anterior portion of the body is blackish brown, 

 then dark brown back to the posterior half or third of the body, 

 which is pale yellowish brown, each scale with a darker basal mar- 

 gin ; belly yellowish posteriorly, black or brown under the dark 

 anterior portion, somewhat spotted behind; sometimes each ven- 

 tral is mai'gined with brown ; generally a light spot on the pre- 

 oculars; chin and throat white, more or less spotted with brown. 



The young have narrow cross-bands on the body which are 

 sometimes retained to maturity. A Florida specimen 1,780 mm. 



