164 University of California Publications in Zoology. \Vou.5 
This specimen is much larger than any example of EZ. skilton- 
ianus | have ever seen. It is 914 inches long (242 mm.), of which 
the tail (which may not be of full length) oceupies 140 mm., and 
the body to anus 102 mm. The head seems proportionately short 
and blunt, this effect being probably due to the remarkably swol- 
len temporal region. This character is far more pronounced than 
in any other specimens of Eumeces I ever saw, but it may be 
largely due to extreme age. I can see no decided differences in 
scale pattern between this and specimens at hand of skiltonianus 
and gilberti, the latter from the Stanford University collection. 
There is not the least trace of stripes or light or dark markings 
of any sort anywhere. The body and tail are grayish olive, darker 
dorsally, with a bronzy cast. The whole head, with a patch across 
the chest between the arms, is now a dull ecoppery color. When 
fresh the head was noted as being bright coppery red. 
As far as I can now decide this specimen represents the species 
gilberti, which seems to have been based solely on color characters 
and size. If not a distinet form it establishes a record station 
far to the south of the previously noted range of gilberti. As 
far as I can find, this species has been recorded hitherto only 
from the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. 
Diadophis amabilis Baird & Girard. 
Western Ring-necked Snake. 
An example of this species was taken at Skinner’s, near the 
mouth of Mountain Home ereek, 4000 feet altitude, June 9, 1906. 
Another was caught on the upper Santa Ana near the mouth of 
Lost creek, 6400 feet altitude, July 7, 1907. This individual 
showed a trait of behavior new to me. When thoroughly alarmed 
and its escape into the brush for which it headed was prevented, 
the snake twisted its tail into a tight corkscrew, the vermilion uro- 
stegial surface outermost. This caudal contrivance shone out 
with conspicuous brillianey, and might have some protective sie- 
nificance as a ‘‘warning mark.’’ Yet as far as I know this species 
of snake is perfectly harmless as far as venomosity is concerned. 
Still another individual of this species was encountered, near our 
Cedar Cabin camp, 5500 feet altitude, July 15, 1907. 
