VO l889. n '] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 97 



middle one starting between tbe eyes running to the end of the tail, the 

 lateral ones starting on the temporal region becoming obscure on the 

 tail; top of muzzle and occasional blotches between the bauds of the 

 same color; whole underside, except the gulars, mottled irregularly 

 with blotches of a dark neutral tint. 



Of the forms which compose this genus the present species appears 

 to be the most highly differentiated, the most distinctive feature being 

 the elongation of the snout and the prominence and shape of the rostral. 

 From the L. irivirgata, myriolepis, and simplex group, it differs more par- 

 ticularly by the low number of scale rows and loreals. In these respects 

 it seems to agree very well with roseofusca, from which it differs in the 

 greater number of scales composing the eye riugaswell as in coloration. 

 There may be other and more important distinctions, but not having 

 seen a specimen of the latter species, I have to rely solely upon Pro- 

 fessor Cope's original description, which is very meager iudeed. 



Aspecimeu collected atSan Diego, Cal., received from Miss Rosa Smith 

 can not be identified with any of the other forms hitherto recognized 

 though combining characters of some of them in such a manner as to 

 make it probable that additional material will prove it to be only a sub- 

 species of L. myriolepis. It may be characterized as follows : 



Lichanura simplex sp. nov. 



Diagnosis. — Scales in 40 rows; eye encircled by 7 or 8 scales; loreals 

 6; labials ff; gasterosteges 232; anal entire; urosteges 39, entire. 



Hab. — San Diego, Cal. 



Type.— U. S. National Museum, No. 13810 ; Miss Rosa Smith, coll., 

 March 5, 1884. 



FlG. 2. — Lichanura simplex. Fig. 3.— Lichanura trivirgata. 



Description of type specimen. — Rostral plate as in the other species, ex- 

 cept L. orcutti, pentagonal, its nasal border but slightly longer than its 

 labial; eye surrounded by a ring of 8 scales (on the leftside, but 7 only 

 on the right side, the two posterior superorbitals having become fused) 

 the anteorbital being very large; three true loreals, abo^e which two 

 smaller supraloreals; on the right side two rather large subloreals, be- 

 ing the detached upper portions of the fourth and fifth supralabials, 

 while on the left side only part of the fifth is thus separated; nasal di- 

 vided, the anterior portion meeting the one of the other side; posterior 

 to these are two pairs of rather regular prefrontals followed by the usual 

 small irregular frontal scales of the genus; supralabials 13, the first three 

 (four) highest; infralibials 15; mental small, triangular, mental fissure 

 separating four pairs of scales; scales of body smooth, hexagonal, im- 

 bricated, in 40 longitudinal rows, the lower one largest; gasterosteges 

 232; anal small, entire; urosteges 39, entire. 

 Proc. N. M. 89 7 



