SYNOPSES AND DESCRIPTIONS. 2*/ 



Clouded olivaceous browu, with narrow, irregular, more or less indistinct 

 vertical bands of about two scales in width, separated by narrow spaces. 

 In places on the l)ody these bands appear to meet on the back, in others 

 they alternate, and posteriorly most (»f them are divided on the ijiiddle of 

 the flank to form alternating series of (piadrate blotches, similar to those 

 of sipcdoii. Belly brown toward the vent, with semicircular yellow spots 

 on the hinder edges of the scutes; anteriorly it is yellow, with spots of 

 bi'own, somewhat similar in shape on the bases of the plates. There 

 is great variation in intensity and amount of marking. A very large 

 sjiecimen from Florida shows only a narrow band of brown on the base 

 of each ventral. Sj^ecimens of this species from Florida arc hardly to be 

 separated from taxisjnlotus. Ohio to Florida. 



Tropidonotus compressicaudus. 



Nerodia compressicauda Kennkott, 1860, Pr. Ac. N. Sc, Phil, 335. 



Moderate, belly broad, back slightly compressed ; head distinct, nar- 

 row; tail compressed, subtriangular, about one fourth of the total. Head 

 shields normal. Internasals as long or longer than wide, narrow in front. 

 Nasal divided obliquely, nostril near the upper margin. One anteorbital. 

 Postorbitals two (2 — 3). A large temporal in contact with the orbi- 

 tals. Labials eight (7 — 9), the two preceding the last large. Eye me- 

 dium, pupil round. Infralabials ten (9 — 11). Hinder pair of submentals 

 larger. Scales keeled, truncate or notched at the end, in 19 — 21 rows, 

 outer broader, keeled to smooth. Ventrals broad 125 — 135. Anal bifid. 

 Subcaudals 66 — 81 pairs. 



Dark greyisli-br(»wn, much spotted and dotted with yellowish. Ventrals, 

 chin-shields, and labials with central rounded or oblong spots of yellow. 

 Flanks with faintly outlined vertical bands, appearing in parts of the body 

 as three or four series of spots, sometimes united at the neck into as many 

 short longitudinal bands. Head nearly black. Florida. 



Tropidonotus leberis, 2>f- 11^ f J- 1. 



Coluber lEheris LUim'; 1758, Sijul., nl X, I, 210; cd. XII, 17(50, 375. 

 Tkopidonotus lebekis IMhrook, 1842, N. A. Hcrp. IV, 49, pi. XIII. 



Body moderately stout and long; head very little larger than the neck, 

 depressed, crown flat ; tail near one fourth of the total, tapering to a point. 

 Head-shields normal. Rostral broad, low. Nasal divided. Mouth deeply 

 cleft, curved posteriorly. A loreal. Anteorbitals two (2—3.) Postorbi- 



