19. VERTICAR/A 569 



second, or sixth, labials, first subocular, preocular, first sup- 

 erciliary, often supraocular, prefrontal, and posterior nasal, 

 plates. Three, or very rarely four, supraoculars 5 first in 

 contact with superciliary, prefrontal, frontal, loreal and sec- 

 ond supraocular} second usually touching frontal} third 

 usually forming sutures with the frontal and frontoparietal, 

 rarely separated by granules} fourth, when present, 

 separated from parietal by a series of granules. 

 Frontoparietal more than half as large as frontal. One or 

 two rows of small occipital plates. Sublabials separated 

 from the infralabials by granules. Five to seven superior 

 and five to seven inferior labials to below middle of the 

 eye. Anterior gulars quite large, and abruptly separated 

 from the smaller posterior granules. Scales on collar very 

 large, not largest on its edge. Ventral plates in eight longi- 

 tudinal and about 27 to 30 transverse, rows. Back and sides 

 covered with small, smooth, equal-sized granules. Tail 

 someW'hat flattened at base, covered with whorls of diagon- 

 ally Iceeled scales. Hind limb as long as distance between 

 anus and front of collar. Ear-opening large, without den- 

 ticulation. Twelve to 1 7 femoral pores on each thigh. 



The plates on the head are pale olive. There is one 

 narrow longitudinal light line on the back, forked anteriorly 

 for from two to eight millimeters behind the head. The 

 dorsal line is also forked posteriorly, in about 50 per cent 

 of the specimens, for from two to 10 millimeters. There 

 are two light lateral lines. The upper of these lateral lines 

 arises on the superciliary plates and is continued for some 

 distance on the tail. The lower originates on the posterior 

 nasal plate and ends on the thigh. A light stripe on the 

 back of the thigh is continued along the tail. The ground 

 color of the back is clove brown with some black granules 

 and blackish edging along the light stripes. The sides of 

 the body are similarly colored with some gray or rufous 



