60 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan.^ 



long, now living in the Zoological Gardens, shows these bands on 

 the pale posterior portion of the body after shedding. Another, 

 also from Florida, has indistinct wide cross-bands as in Z. t. 

 ornafus. 



Examples from west of the Mississippi are often of paler colors, 

 with dark heads, and adults sometimes show the wide cross-bands 

 and even indications of the liglit lateral stripes of ornatus. 



I was formerly of the opinion that testaceuni Say should be 

 admitted as a pale desert form, but examination of a considerable 

 number of living specimens fi'om central Texas and westward, 

 satisfy me that occasional individuals only, show its extreme pale- 

 ness. 



Hab. — South Carolina and Florida to Arizona; northern Mexico. 

 Zamenis flagellum frenatus Stej. 



N. Am. Fauna, No. 7,208 (1893); Z. f. ■flagellum (part) Cope, Rep. 

 Nat. Mus., 802 ; Z. fiagelliformis (part) Boul., I. c, I, 389. 



Mr. Stejneger has proposed to regard as a subspecies the form 

 of Z. fiftfjelhim from Arizona and westward with permanent cross- 

 bands on the anterior portion of the body. This is the retention 

 of a juvenile character which was referred to under the preceding 

 subspecies, and which would doubtless be moi'e evident in eastern 

 specimens, were it not iov the dark color which pervades those parts 

 in the adult; but there is so strong a disposition for this character 

 to become permanent in the far west, that Mr. Stejneger is prob- 

 ably right in recognizing the form. 



The following description is taken from a beautiful living speci- 

 men lately received from Yuma, Ariz., through the kindness of 

 ]Mr. Herbert Brown : 



17 rows of scales; 8 upper labiais; veutrals 193; sub-caudals 

 100; length 1,400 mm. (tail 345). Body color rather pale brown 

 extending to the ventrals; most of the scales are darker at the 

 tip and faintly edged with pink; the lower edge of the outer 

 row and the adjacent ends of the ventrals are whitish, forming an 

 indistinct line, which is more obvious anteriorly and disappears 

 before reaching the tail; the three or four outer rows are faintly 

 darker in the centre, suggesting the dark lateral stripes of Z. 

 tcenlatus. The anterior fourth of the body is crossed by indistinct 

 bands, one and a half to two scales wade; top of head rather 

 darker brown, witli a light spot on the pre- and post-oculars; 



