288 Vlinnis State Laboratorij of Natural Histonj. 



Variety sayi ( ? ) 



Illinois examples o£ the species are referred to this variety 

 with a good deal of doubt. If the published descriptions of 

 the variety are complete, our snakes certainly do not belong to 

 it. In many respects the central Illinois examples are inter- 

 mediate between var. sayi and var. hellona, and, judging from 

 descriptions alone, are as properly referable to the latter as to 

 the former. The description following is based upon six 

 examples from the prairie region of central Illinois. 



Rostral plate wedged between the internasals above, in one 

 example reaching the prefrontals. Two pairs of prefrontals. 

 A small anterior frontal present in four examples. Frontal 

 large, wide in front, emarginate for the accommodation of the 

 anterior frontal when the latter is present, sides slightly in- 

 curved and approaching posteriorly. Parietals large, impressed 

 as if from an injury. Loreals one or two. Anteorbitals one in 

 five examples, two in the remaining one, the inferior plate in 

 the latter very small. Postorbitals two, three, or four; in one 

 example three on one side and four on the other. Supralabials 

 eight, the fourth alone reaching the orbit; fourth, sixth, and 

 seventh largest. Eleven infralabials. Dorsal scales in from 

 thirty-one to thirty-three rows, from seven to nine outer 

 smooth. Ventrals 209-228. Subcaudals 51-60 pairs. 



Color above straw-yellow, faintly brownish in some 

 examples, with a dorsal series of large black or brown spots 

 numbering from forty-two to fifty-five to the vent, and from 

 nine to thirteen on the tail. On the dorsal scales of each side, 

 are one or two additional series of black or brown spots «vhich, 

 anteriorly, are elongate longitudinally, and on the tail fuse with 

 the dorsal spots, forming transverse bars. Beneath pale yellow, 

 with brown or black blotches confined to the sides of the ven- 

 tral scutes or uniformly distributed. Head with a black bar 

 extending from orbit to orbit on the supraciliaries, frontal 

 and prefrontals. An oblique black bar extends from the 

 orbit to the angle of the mouth, crossing the seventh and 

 eighth supralabials. Most of the labials are edged with black. 

 The black spots, in some examples, encroach upon the yellow 

 ground color to such an extent that only narrow lines of yellow 

 appear between them. 



