250 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES [Proc. 4th Ser. 



Scale counts in Thamnophis ordinoides biscutatus (Cope) — Continued 



Remarks. — These snakes from the Klamath region are very 

 similar to T. a. vagrans but the ground color of the dorso- 

 lateral regions usually is much darker. For this reason the 

 dark spots usually are inconspicuous. Occasional specimens 

 show the spots very distinctly, and in most specimens they may 

 be seen when looked for. These spots invade the dorsal line 

 just as they do in typical T. a. vagrans. The chief point of 

 distinction between T. a. biscutatus and T. o. vagrans is the in- 

 crease in the number of preoculars. Less than twenty-five per 

 cent of the Klamath specimens do not show this increase on at 

 least one side of the head, so that it must be regarded as a per- 



