778 13. COLUBR1D& 



DITMARS, Reptile Book, 1907, p. 371; STRECKER, Baylor Bulletin, 

 Vol. XVIII, No. 4, 1915, p. 40; STEJNEGER & BARBOUR, Check List 

 N. Amer. Amph. Kept., 1917, p. 93. 



Description. Body rather stout, with short tail. Head 

 broad, short, depressed, but little distinct from neck. Snout 

 acute and turned upward at tip. Rostral plate acute, 

 produced forward and upward, its upper surface concave, 

 recurved on top of snout, separating the internasals widely, 

 and broadly in contact with prefrontals. Internasals very 

 small. Anterior nasal merged with first labial. Posterior 

 nasal merged with anterior, or distinct. No loreal, pre- 

 frontal in contact with second labial. Frontal, supraocular 

 and parietal plates normal. One preocular. Two post- 

 oculars. Temporals one followed by two, or 2+3. Supra- 

 labials seven, third and fourth reaching eye. Inferior labials 

 seven to nine, fourth usually largest, the first pair meeting 

 on median line. One or two pairs of genials, posterior very 

 small when present. Scales on body smooth, broad, in 17 

 or 1 9 rows. Anal divided. Gastrosteges varying in number 

 from 129 to 146. Urosteges in two series of from 28 to 36. 



The color above is light brownish gray crossed by a 

 series of transverse brown bands or blotches. These blotches 

 may be edged with black. They may extend down to 

 the gastrosteges, becoming narrower on the sides, and may 

 tend to divide into a dorsal and two lateral series of spots 

 anteriorly. On the middle of the body a series of lateral 

 bars may alternate with the dorsal ones. The brown dorsal 

 blotches between head and anus vary from 3 1 to 40. There 

 are eight or nine similar transverse spots on the tail. The 

 first blotch on the neck is large and is extended forward 

 medially to the parietals. The head is olive gray with a 

 broad brown band across the parietals and including the tip 

 of the frontal. A second band extends between the eyes 



