6Q TROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Jan,, 



LIOPELTIS Cope. 



Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860. 559 ; Chlorosoma B. and G., I. c, 108 ; Lio' 

 peltis Cope, I. c, 620, and Rep. Nat. Mus.,781 ; Contia (part) BouL, 

 I. c, II, 255. 



Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; head scales normal; a loreal, 

 occasionally absent; one nasal; scales smooth, with one pit; anal 

 divided; size small; tail long; head distinct. 



Hab. — Eastern Asia; North America. 



Liopeltis vernalis Harlan. 



Coluber vernalis Harl., Jour. Acad. Phila., V, 1827, p. 361 ; Chloro- 

 soma vernalis B. and G., I. c, 108 ; L. vernalis Cope, I. c, 0'20, and 

 Kep. Nat. Mus., 783 ; Contia vernalis Boiil., I. c., II, 258. 



Head scales normal; loreal nearly square, sometimes fused with 

 the nasal; one nasal; oculars 1 (2)-2; temporals 1-2; upper 

 labials 7, third and fourth in orbit; lower labials 8; scales smooth 

 in 15 rows; ventrals 120-138; subcaudals 69-94. 



Uniform bright green above; labials and belly yellowish green. 

 Length 500 mm. (tail 150). 



Hab. — Canada and United States east of Rocky Mountains; 

 rare in the southeastern States. 



CONTIA B. and G. 



I. c, 110 ; Cope (part), I. c, 599, and Chionactis Cope, I. c, 604, and 

 Rep. Nat. Mus., 925, 935^8 ; Contia (part) BouL, I. c, II, 255 ; ? Lodia 

 B. and G., Z. c, 116. 



Maxillary teeth smooth, equal; one loreal; one preocular; one 

 nasal, sometimes half divided below the nostril; two interuasals; 

 scales smooth, without pits in 15-17 rows; anal divided; size 

 small; head not very distinct. 



Hab. — North America; Asia. 



Key to the American Species. 



a. — 13 rows of scales; pale brown, no cross-bars, . 1. C. taijlori. 

 b. — 15 rows of scales: 



Reddish or greenish brown; sometimes cross-bands, 



2. C. episcopa. 



AVhite, Avith bands or rings around body, 3. C. occipitale. 



Brown, with a light band on each side, . . 4. C. mitis. 



^'Prof. Cope removes all the species included here in Contia, except G. 

 mitis, to CJiionactis Cope, on account of their possession of a shallow external 

 groove on the posterior maxillary tooth. Thi.s is probably the same noted 

 by Dr. Giinther as a distinct elongated pit at the base of the hinder teeth in 

 large specimens of the Mexican Conopsis nasus (Biologia Centrali Ameri- 

 cana, Rept., p. 97). Sufficient material is not accessible to determine 

 either the constancy or the value of this character, and it seems best for the 

 present to retain these snakes in the genus Contia. 



