690 13. COLUBRID& 



Description. Head flat-topped or slightly rounded, and 

 snout projecting and very blunt. Temporal regions not 

 swollen. Rostral plate very large, prominent, recurved on 

 top of snout, with free lateral edges, and bounded behind 

 by internasal, anterior nasal, and first labial plates. Plates 

 on top of head are a pair of internasals, a pair of prefron- 

 tals, a frontal, supraocular of each side, and a pair of rather 

 short, rounded parietals. Anterior and posterior nasals dis- 

 tinct. Loreal small, but sometimes divided. Preoculars 

 two or one. Postoculars two or three. Temporals normally 

 two followed by three, rarely 1+2, 2+2, or 3+3. Eight 

 or nine, or rarely ten, superior and about 10 (nine to 12) 

 inferior labials, sixth or seventh or seventh and eighth supe- 

 rior and fifth or sixth inferior largest, fourth and fifth or 

 fifth and sixth superior, or small detached portions of them, 

 reaching eye, first pair of inferior meeting on median line. 

 Two pairs of genials, posterior equal to or smaller than 

 anterior. Scales on body smooth, thin, in 17 or rarely 19 

 rows. Anal plate divided. Gastrosteges varying in number 

 from 174 to 213. Urosteges in two series of from 67 to 

 108. 



The upper surface of the head is grayish or yellowish 

 brown, without dark or light markings. The ground color 

 of the body is drab, yellow, light brown, or plumbeous, with 

 one or two narrow black, slate, brown, or olive longitudinal 

 bands. These bands fade out on the tail, and may extend 

 onto the sides of the head. Sometimes they widen and 

 merge; in other specimens the upper band is partially broken 

 up into spots; while in one the bands are represented by 

 blackish shades at the bases of the scales. The upper lip 

 and all the lower surfaces are yellow or yellowish white, 

 the tail and posterior part of the body sometimes with an 

 orange or reddish cast. 



