SYNOPSES AND DESCRIPTIONS 119 
behind, along the middle of the body; frequently one or two of the lateral 
series are obsolete. 
Top of head brown, with a light band on the fore parts of supraciliaries 
and frontal, a brown band from each parietal shield to the first blotch on 
the neck, a brown band from the eye to the neck, separated from the 
parietal by a light space, a light band from the nostril around the angle 
of the mouth, and a vertical bar of light color on each side of the pit. 
Labials dark. Lower lip with two light spaces on each side. Marks of 
head sometimes obsolete. Hab. Mississippi Valley from Ohio. 
CROTALUS MILIARIUS. 
Linné, 1766, Syst. Nat., ed. XII, I, 372. 
Small. Body fusiform; head distinct, broad behind, narrow and angular 
forward, with flat crown; tail short, rattle small. Eye small. Rostral high, 
broad near its upper extremity. Anterior nasal much larger. Nostril small. 
Loreal four-sided, largely in contact with the prefrontal. Two anteorbitals, 
upper much broader. One to four small scales in front of the pit. Sub 
and postorbitals four to six, anterior large. Cheek scales large, smooth. 
Labials 10—12. Infralabials 8—13. Seales in 21—23 rows, median 
pointed, all keeled, or the outer smooth. Ventrals 1380—139+27—35, 
posterior subcaudals often bifid. 
Greyish or ashy brown, varying from quite light to very dark. A dorsal 
series of 30—43, large light-edged more or less irregular black spots, band- 
like or divided toward the tail. Three series of alternating smaller spots 
on the flank, the upper often indistinct—sometimes obsolete, the lower on 
the edge of the abdomen. The majority of specimens have a narrow red- 
dish band along the middle of the back, more distinct between the spots, 
though apparently crossing them. Three series of alternating spots on the 
belly, blending posteriorly, commonly irregular forward. Tail with six to 
twelve transverse bands. Head marked as in @. catenatus. Usually the 
parietal bands do not meet on the neck in the first spot of the dorsal series. 
The light band across the frontal and supraciliaries is sometimes indistinct, 
as are also the vertical bars on each side of the pit. The light band from 
the nostril around the angle of the mouth and the two spots on each side of 
the lower jaw are more distinct. The dark band from the eye to the neck 
varies much in length. Hab. Southern United States to Mexico, 
