690 13. COLUBRIDE 
Description.—Head flat-topped or slightly rounded, and 
snout projecting and very blunt. Temporal regions not 
swollen. Rostral plate very large, prominent, recurved on 
top of snout, with free lateral edges, and bounded behind 
by internasal, anterior nasal, and first labial plates. Plates 
on top of head are a pair of internasals, a pair of prefron- 
tals, a frontal, supraocular of each side, and a pair of rather 
short, rounded parietals. Anterior and posterior nasals dis- 
tinct. Loreal small, but sometimes divided. Preoculars 
two or one. Postoculars two or three. Temporals normally 
two followed by three, rarely 1+2, 2+2, or 3+3. Eight 
or nine, or rarely ten, superior and about 10 (nine to 12) 
inferior labials, sixth or seventh or seventh and eighth supe- 
rior and fifth or sixth inferior largest, fourth and fifth or 
fifth and sixth superior, or small detached portions of them, 
reaching eye, first pair of inferior meeting on median line. 
Two pairs of genials, posterior equal to or smaller than 
anterior. Scales on body smooth, thin, in 17 or rarely 19 
rows. Anal plate divided. Gastrosteges varying in number 
from 174 to 213. Urosteges in two series of from 67 to 
108. 
The upper surface of the head is grayish or yellowish 
brown, without dark or light markings. The ground color 
of the body is drab, yellow, light brown, or plumbeous, with 
one or two narrow black, slate, brown, or olive longitudinal 
bands. These bands fade out on the tail, and may extend 
onto the sides of the head. Sometimes they widen and 
merge; in other specimens the upper band is partially broken 
up into spots; while in one the bands are represented by 
blackish shades at the bases of the scales. The upper lip 
and all the lower surfaces are yellow or yellowish white, 
the tail and posterior part of the body sometimes with an 
orange or reddish cast. 
