674 13. COLUBRIDSE 



parietals. Supraoculars large, broadly in contact, with pre- 

 frontal, separating frontal from preocular. Parietals very 

 short, shorter than frontal, less than twice length of suture 

 between prefrontals, the suture between parietals much 

 shorter than distance from tip of snout to frontal. Loreal 

 rather large, longer than high. Preoculars two. Postocu- 

 lars two. Temporals two followed by two. Eight superior 

 and seven inferior labials, seventh and eighth upper largest, 

 fourth and fifth reaching eye. Genials in two pairs, poste- 

 rior about as long as anterior but narrower. Scales on bod) 

 in 1 7 rows, smooth, with two apical pits. Anal plate divided. 

 Gastrosteges varying in number from 186 to 204. Uroste- 

 ges in two series of from 93 to 112. 



The color above is walnut brown, deepest toward the 

 tip of each scale, with narrow blackish brown, linear spots, 

 never longer than a scale, sparsely and irregularly scattered 

 over the back and sides. The head is more uniformly 

 pale walnut brown, with a few irregularly scattered blackish 

 dots, and a few obscure dusky marblings on the lores and 

 labials. The lower surfaces are pale, irregularly sprinkled 

 with slate-colored dots. Toward the head these dots be- 

 come more evident and are collected in two parallel longi- 

 tudinal zones. The chin and throat are more definitely but 

 irregularly marked with larger spots of the same color. 



In a younger example the color above is more grayish 

 and entirely uniform, without the blackish spots. The lower 

 surfaces are pale, unicolor, with no markings except a few 

 dusky dots on the neck. The sides of the head are brownish 

 like the top, with the indication of a dusky longitudinal 

 band on the upper halves of the supralabials. The lower 

 halves of the supralabials, the throat, a band from the nos- 

 tril to the eye, and the postocular plate, are yellow. 



In other specimens the dark markings on the chin, 

 throat, and fore neck are well developed, and the dusky 



