864 13. COLUBR1DX 



duced moderately beyond lower jaw. Rostral large, broad, 

 not very low, projecting beyond mental much less than in 

 S. occipitalis, somewhat recurved on top of snout, and 

 bounded behind by internasal, nasal and first labial plates. 

 Plates on top of head are a pair of internasals, a pair of pre- 

 frontals, a frontal, supraocular of each side, and a pair of 

 parietals. Anterior and posterior nasals united into a single 

 plate. Loreal usually longer than high, sometimes small, 

 merged with nasal on one side of one specimen. One pre- 

 ocular. Two postoculars. Temporals one followed by two, 

 or 1 + 1. Supralabials normally seven, sometimes six, third 

 and fourth reaching eye, next to last largest. Infralabials 

 usually seven, sometimes six or eight, fourth largest, first 

 pair meeting on median line. Genials in two pairs, the post- 

 erior much smaller. Scales on body smooth, in 15 rows. 

 Anal plate divided. Gastrosteges varying in number from 

 149 to 1 76. Urosteges in two series of from 45 to 53. 



The head is light yellowish olive, or pinkish, or orange- 

 red above, with a black or dark brown crescentic blotch on 

 the parietal and frontal plates, extending to the eye as in 

 5. occlptalis. In some specimens this blotch is nearly obsolete. 

 On the body between the head and anus are from 23 to 39 

 transverse black bars. There are from six to 1 1 similar black 

 bars or rings on the tail. The bars on the body usually do 

 not quite reach the gastrosteges, but may involve their tips. 

 The lateral scales which lie within these black bars have 

 light edges, while the lateral scales in the interspaces often 

 have central or basal dark markings, producing a linear effect 

 similar to that seen on the lateral regions in S. episco-pa. The 

 interspaces between the black bars usually are but little 

 greater than the bars themselves, but may be much more, 

 even twice as long on the midline. These interspaces dorsal- 

 ly are reddish orange or rose pink in alcoholic specimens, 

 fading to white laterally. The lower surfaces are yellowish 



