1917] Grinnell-Camp: Amphibians and Reptiles of California 183 
RanGe.—Mohave and Colorado deserts, north to Owens Lake, Inyo 
County (Meek, Field Columb. Mus., zool. ser., 7, 1906, p. 15), and 
Blythe Junction, San Bernardino County (Camp, Univ. Calif. Publ. 
Zool., 12, 1916, p. 531), and west to Carrizo Creek and La Puerta 
Valley, in eastern San Diego County (Mus. Vert. Zool.). Restricted 
to the Lower Sonoran life-zone. Inhabits open gravelly or sandy 
ground. (See fig. 12.) 
Sonora episcopa (Kennicott) 
Texas Ground Snake 
OrigInaL Derscription.—Lamprosoma episcopum Kennicott, in 
Baird, U. S. Mex. Bound. Surv., 2, 1859; pt. 2, Reptiles, p. 22, pl. 8, 
fig. 2. 
Type Locauiry.—Eagle Pass, Texas. 
RanGe.—Extreme southeastern deserts; two instances of occur- 
rence: 4 miles north of Blythe Junction, San Bernardino County 
(Camp, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 12, 1916, pp. 530-531) ; Heber, Im- 
perial County (no. 5610, Mus. Vert. Zool.). Both localities he within 
the Lower Sonoran life-zone. In the first case, the snake was taken 
from beneath a stone on a rocky hillside. (See fig. 12.) 
Contia mitis Baird and Girard 
Sharp-tailed Snake 
OriGINAL DEscrIeTION.—Contia mitis Baird and Girard, Cat. N. 
A. Reptiles in Smiths. Inst., pt. 1, 1853, pp. 110-111. 
Tyre Locaniry.—San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. 
Synonyms.—Ablabes purpureocauda Giinther, Cat. Colubrine 
Snakes Brit. Mus., 1858, p. 245 (type from California) ; Homalosoma 
mite. 
Common Names.—Purple-tailed Snake; Pacifie Ground Snake; 
Brown Snake; Gentle Brown Snake. 
RaNnce.—Northern portion of the state, mostly near the seacoast. 
Southernmost stations: Big Basin, Santa Cruz County (Van Den- 
burgh, Oce. Papers Calif. Acad. Sei., 5, 1897, p. 163), and [near] 
Fresno, Fresno County (Yarrow, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 24, 1882, 
pp. 14, 87) ; easternmost stations: Fyffe, Eldorado County (Van Den- 
burgh, loc. cit.), and Baird, Shasta County (Cope, Ann. Rep. U. 8. 
Nat. Mus., 1898 [1900], p. 926). Occurs in the Transition and Upper 
Sonoran life-zones. Lives beneath stones in hilly country. (See 
fig. 12.) 
