166 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



the color of the back. The upper labials are partly 

 white or yellow. The lower surfaces, including none, 

 one-half, one, one and one-half, or two rows of scales, 

 are white, yellow, rose,* orange, lake,* or coral red — 

 brightest posteriorly — more or less spotted with black 

 at the posterior edges of the gastrosteges and urosteges 

 and under the head. 



Length to amis 137 166 '270 33.S 366 420 



Length of tail 32 40 68 66 101 92 



Distribution. — The Western Ring-neck or "Red- 

 bellied" Snake lives in all parts of California except 

 the desert area. It is rather inconspicuous, because of 

 its small size, but has been taken in San Diego (San 

 Diego, vie. Carlsbad and Oceanside), San Bernardino 

 (San Bernardino, Ontario), Fresno (Fresno), Mariposa 

 (Mariposa, Yosemite Valley), El Dorado, Santa Cruz 

 (Santa Cruz), Santa Clara (San Jose, Palo Alto), Ala- 

 meda (Oakland), Contra Costa (Mount Diablo), Marin, 

 Sonoma (Sonoma, Petaluma, Healdsburg), Napa (Calis- 

 toga), Lake (Highland Springs), and Shasta (McCloud 

 River) Counties, California, and in Willamette Valley 

 and at Fort Dalles, Oregon. 



Habits. — Diadophis amabilis is most often found under 

 boards or logs in moist localities, sometimes even in salt 

 marshes. Its food probably consists chiefly of insects, 

 but one specimen had eaten a half- grown tree -toad 

 (Hyla regilla). Nothing is known of its breeding habits. 



Genus 28. LAMPROPELTIS. 



Lampropeltis, Fitzinger, Syst. Eept., 1843, p. 25 (type getulus); 

 Spheiiophis, Fitz., 1. c, p. 25 (type coccinea); Ophibolus, B. & 

 G., Cat. N. A. Serp., 1853. p. 82 (type sayi); Bellophis, Lock- 

 INOTON, Proc. Cal Acad. Sci., VII, 1877, p. 52 (type zouatus). 



The body is rather thick, with short tail, and little if 



*In formalin. 



