190 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OP SCIENCES. 



on the head and anterior gastrosteges with gray, slate, 

 or brown. The anterior gastrosteges are sometimes 

 washed with orange-rufous. 



Length to anus 632 725 742 787 804 968 



Length of tail 275 311 329 338 396 



Distribution. The Californian Racer appears to be 

 confined to those parts of California which lie to the 

 west of the Sierra Nevada and Mojave and Colorado 

 Deserts. The northern limit of its range is not known. 

 It has been taken in San Diego (Santa Ysabel, Agua 

 Caliente, Oak Grove), Riverside (San Jacinto, Straw- 

 berry Valley, Riverside), Los Angeles (Los Angeles), 

 Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara), Kern (Fort Tejon, 

 Walker Pass), Tulare (Three Rivers), Fresno (Fresno), 

 Monterey (Carmel Valley), Santa Clara (Los Gatos), 

 and Lake (Mt. Saint Helena) Counties. 



Habits. Nothing is known of the habits of this snake, 

 except that, like other members of the genus, it is very 

 active and a skillful climber. 



61. Bascanion taeniatum (Hallowell). STRIPED RACER. 



Le.ptophis tceniata, HALLOW., Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1852, p. 181 



(type locality New Mexico); HALLOW., Sitgreave's Zuni aud 



Colorado Riv., 1853, p. 133, pi. XIII (XII). 

 Mastlcophis taniatus, BAIRD & GIRARD, Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I, 



Serp., 1853, p. 103; B. & G., Pac. R. R. Surv., X, Rept., 1859, 



pi. XXXII, fig. 76. 

 Bascanium tceniatum Iceniatum, YARROW, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 24, 



1882, p. 112. 

 Bascanium Iteniatum, COPE, Proc. U. S.Nat. Mus., XIV, 1891 (1892), 



p. 629. 



Bascanion tantalum, STEJNEGER, N. A. Fauna, No. 7, 1893, p. 210. 

 Zamenis tainiatus, BOULENGER, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., I, 1893, p. 390 



(part). 



Description. Head long, with flattened top and 

 rounded snout. Rostral plate large, about as high as 



