2 University of Michigan 



Description of Type Specimen: Ventral plates, 214; anal 

 plate entire ; caudal plates, 51, all divided ; dorsal scale rows, 

 27-25-23-21-19 ; upper labials, 8 on each side ; lower labials, 

 13 on the left side and 12 on the right ; on each side a single 

 preocular and 2 postoculars ; temporals, on each side, 2, fol- 

 lowed by 4 ; posterior chin-shields about half as large as the 

 anterior, parallel, and separated by two to three lines of 

 small scales; rostral prominent, projecting about half way 

 between the internasals; other head shields normal for the 

 genus; dorsal scales all smooth, and similar in size and pro- 

 portions. 



Total length, 992 mm. ; tail length, 136 mm. ; tail, therefore, 

 0.137 of the total length. Sex, male. 



The general color above (as preserved) is light brownish 

 marked by about 72 narrow, ill-defined transverse blotches of 

 darker brown. Small lateral alternating spots are faintly 

 defined on the anterior half of the body. On the second and 

 third, occasionally first and fourth, rows of dorsal scales are 

 frequent small black spots, which are rather conspicuous in a 

 general view of the specimen. The brown of the upper sur- 

 faces changes gradually at about the third or fourth row of 

 dorsal scales to the cream color of the lower surfaces. The 

 latter are without markings of any kind. The top of the head 

 is nearly uniformly light brown. From the lower postocular 

 to the last upper labial is a darlv streak, and the labial suture 

 under the middle of each eye is dark along its upper portion. 

 The under side of the head is unmarked. 



Remarks : Specimens from Texas, and from western Arizona 

 and California, are referable on sight to their respective sub- 

 species, but individuals from the intermediate region are gen- 

 erally intermediate in pattern or scalation. A larger series of 

 specimens will undoubtedly make possible a closer definition 

 of the characters and ranges of these races. Until then a 

 specimen must be identified as belonging to the race it most 

 nearly resembles in characters and locality. 



The intermediates among the specimens examined are as 

 follows: U. S. N. M. 8408 from "southea.stern Arizona" has 

 the pattern of elegans and the scale rows of occidentalis ; U. S. 



