290 niinot's State Laborafoyi/ of Natural Hhtory. 



Elaphis obsoletus, Say. Pilot Snake. Black Snake. 

 Var. obsoletus. 



(Uiliiber obsoUtiis, Say, Long's ExpeiJ. to Rocky Mts., 1823, I., 



p. 140. 

 Georgia obsnjeta, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Ft. I., 1853, p. 158. 

 Scotophiti ohsoJetiis, Kenn., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1800, 



p. 330. 

 Cohiher obsoletus, subsp. obsoletus and cotiftiiis, Davis and Rice, 



l^ull. III. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, pp. 36, 37; 



Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883. 

 Elaphis obsoletus, a. (ia,Ym?iu, Mem. Mus. Comp. ZoiU., 1883, pp. 



54, 151, pi. 4, fig. 2. 



Var. lindheimeri. 



Hcotophls lindlieimerii, Bd. and Gir. Cat. N. A. Rept. Pt. I., 1853, 



p. 74. 

 Scoto2)Jiis emoryi, Bd. and Gir., 1. c, p. 157. 

 ('oluher emoryi and C. lindheimeri, Davis and Rice, Bull. State 



Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 3fi; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 



1883. 

 Elaphis obsoletus,y?iV. linclJua' merit, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. 



Zool., 1883, pp. 54, 152. 



Body elongate, slender, slightly compressed, ventral sur- 

 face flattened. Head large, elongate, clearly separated by the 

 narrower neck. Only the median dorsal scales carinate. Ros- 

 tral plate wide, excavated below. Prefrontals very large. 

 Frontal pentagonal, nearly or quite as wide in front as long. 

 One large anteorbital. Two or three postorbitals. Eight su- 

 pralabials, the middle of the eye above the line of juncture of 

 the fourth and fifth. Thirteen infralabials, the sixth and 

 seventh or fifth and sixth largest. Dorsal scales in from twenty- 

 five to twenty-nine rows, the two or three outer rows of each 

 side smooth, the carinae of remaining rows becoming more 

 prominent above. Ventrals 217-239. Subcaudals 72-85. 



Color above brown or black with a silken gloss, or a gray 

 ground color, and black or brown dorsal and lateral blotches. 

 Beneath, straw-yellow in the young, with squarish or elongate 

 blackish blotches, mostly confined to the sides in front, but 

 gradually fusing toward the tail and giving a uniform dark 

 slate-color on the under side of the latter. In adults most of 

 the ventral surface is dark slate or black; in all stages oa the 



