154 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 
Lower labials 12, fifth and sixth largest. ‘Temporal plates 2, 
small, and followed by about 3 more series of smaller ones. 
Scales all more or less smooth, median series down back slightly 
keeled, and keels disappearing progressively down sides of body. 
Scales in 22 series counted transversely over back, and 326 in a 
longitudinal series from parietal plates to tip of tail. Gastrosteges 
210 to vent. Urosteges double. ‘Tail about 5 in length of body, 
and rapidly tapering to a slender tip. Color in alcohol deep 
umber-brown, obsoletely variegated with about 40 or more deep 
brownish obscure blotches or saddles down middle of back. These 
blotches very ill-defined and of more or less nebulous appearance. 
On each side of this area a slightly pale streak extends longi- 
tudinally, and more or less speckled or mottled obscurely with 
brownish. ‘Then below this another dark area colored like middle 
of back longitudinally, and also bounded below by another 
slightly speckled streak. Gastrosteges at first creamy-brown, but 
posteriorly and with urosteges becoming more or less obscure, 
with large blotches of slaty-brown or dusky. Anteriorly on body 
these markings are seen as lateral blotches extending on lateral 
edges of a pair of abdominal plates, then skipping 2 or 3. As 
they progress posteriorly inner slaty quadrate blotches alternate 
with their inner corners, which encroach more or less posteriorly 
on paler abdominal color though always leaving a median pale 
streak, sometimes largely of spots. On under surface of tail pale 
color vanishes altogether posteriorly. Labials, mandible and 
under surface of head, creamy-brown. Iris pale slaty. Length 
60 inches. Stone Harbor, Cape May County. May, 1901. 
David McCadden. 
This is the only adult example I have seen. Mr. McCadden 
tells me he secured it unawares, as it was coiled and basking, or 
napping in the sun. When seized in the hand it made consider- 
able commotion, and was quite powerful in its contortions. Pos- 
sibly the accounts of large black snakes credited to this region in 
former times may have reference to this species rather than to 
Bascanion. 
A small example 1334 inches in length, taken at Dennisville 
and received from Samuel Ashmead, is most likely the voung 
of this species. Mr. Stone has recorded it as Calopeltis obsoletus 
