REPTILES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 



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large. Upper labials seven or eight in number, last 

 largest. Syniphyseal very broad and followed by one or 

 two wide azygous sublabials (postmentals), and several 

 large, paired sublabials in contact with infralabials. 

 All scales on body, limbs, and tail similar in shape, very 

 smooth, and strongly imbricate. Lower caudals of 

 median series greatly enlarged transversely. Upper 

 caudals about size of dorsals, larger than laterals, ven- 

 trals, and gulars. Twenty-four or twenty-six rows of 

 scales encircling middle of body. Ear-opening about 

 size of a gular scale and feebly denticulated anteriorly. 



The color above is black or dark olive, with two 

 bluish gray or pale brown lines along each side. The 

 upper of these lines originates at the internasal plate, 

 crosses the anterior loreal, prefrontal, supraocular, and 

 parietal plates, and runs along, the dorsal scales of the 

 second and third rows from the median line to, and 

 often for some distance along, the tail. The lower 

 traverses the upper labial plates, crosses the ear-open- 

 ing, and continues along the side of the neck and body 

 to the hind limb, often reappearing on the tail. The 

 ground color is usually darkest near the light lines. 

 The upper pair of the latter are separated by about two 

 and two half rows of scales. The limbs are olive, some- 

 times marked with darker brown on the margins of the 

 scales. The bands of the back are continued for a vary- 

 ing distance on the tail, which is elsewhere greenish 



