43. TANTILLA 877 
Description.—Head rounded in outline, very flat above 
rather broad across temporal region, but little distinct from 
neck. Eyes small. Rostral rather large, broader than high, 
and bounded behind by internasal, anterior nasal, and first 
labial plates. Plates on top of head are a pair of small inter- 
nasals, a pair of prefrontals which are nearly twice as large, 
a frontal, the supraocular of each side, and a pair of long 
parietals. Posterior nasal in contact with preocular. No 
loreal. One preocular. Two postoculars. Temporals elong- 
ate, 1+1 or 1+2. Supralabials seven, the last largest, the 
third and fourth reaching eye. Infralabials seven or rarely 
six, the first pair not meeting on the midline. Scales smooth, 
in 15 rows. Anal plate divided. Gastrosteges varying in 
number from 167 to 181. Urosteges in two series of from 
53 to 68. 
The ground color is pale brownish gray or grayish brown, 
above, the edges of the scales being lighter. The top and 
sides of the head and the neck for a distance of about two 
or three scale-lengths behind the parietal plates is dark 
grayish or blackish brown. Behind this area a narrow whitish 
transverse band or collar about one scale wide crosses the 
nape. This may be bordered behind by a few dark dots. 
The labials and lower surfaces of the head and neck are 
grayish white. The rest of the lower surfaces are coral red, 
fading to grayish white in alcohol. 
Menothitovantise = ae ct 207 233 256 283 
Menptiig(Otgitatlee eens eee 28 63 74 58 82 
Distribution.—Seven specimens of this little snake were 
collected by Dr. Gustav Eisen near Fresno, Fresno County, 
California, in 1879. It has since been taken near Mohave, 
Kern County, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and Witch 
Creek and Campo in San Diego County. Witch Creek is on 
