354 



CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



[Proc. 4th Ser. 



extensive collecting will show that it is present also on James 



and Barrington. 



Material. — We have received five specimens. Two are from 



Jervis, two from South Seymour and one from Indefatigable. 



Description of the type. — Head rather broad, with flattened top and 

 rounded snout. Rostral plate large, broader than high, hollowed below, 

 and bounded behind by internasal, anterior nasal, and first labial plates. 

 Plates on top of head are: a pair of internasals, a pair of prefrontals, 

 supraocular and part of preocular of each side, a frontal, and a pair of large 

 parietals. Internasals much smaller than prefrontals. Frontal slightly- 

 longer than parietal suture. Anterior and posterior nasals distinct. Loreal 

 well developed, longer than high. One preocular. Two postoculars. Tem- 

 porals two followed by two, or one followed by one. Eight superior and 

 ten inferior labials, sixth upper and sixth lower largest, fourth and fifth 

 upper reaching eye, first pair of lower meeting on median line. Genials 

 in tv/o pairs, posterior a little longer, anterior touching five labials. Scales 

 on body smooth, without pits, in nineteen rows. Anal' plate divided. 

 Gastrosteges one hundred and sixty-nine. Tail complete. Urosteges 

 ninety-six, all paired. 



The head is brownish olive above. There is a dark brown postocular 

 streak. The labials and most of the other scales on the side of the head 

 are yellowish gray with dark borders. The general color above is blackish 

 brown. A light yellowish-gray stripe runs along each side of the neck, 

 body, and tail. This streak is on the scales of the sixth, seventh, and eighth 

 rows on the neck, and of the fifth, sixth, seventh and sometimes eighth on 

 the body, except posteriorly where it drops to the fourth, fifth, and sixth 

 rows. Many of the lateral scales have light central spots of the same 

 color as the longitudinal stripes. The lower surfaces are light yellowish 

 gray. There is a blackish cross-bar at the base of each gastrostege, and 

 usually a blackish blotch on each side of the center of each gastrostege. 

 The urosteges are light gray outlined with blackish brown. 



Length to anus, 290 mm. 



Length of tail, 130 mm. 



Variation. — The principal variation in scale-characters is set 

 forth in the following table. It will be noted that the Jervis 

 and South Seymour snakes have three postoculars, while the 

 Indefatigable specimen has only two. 



TABLE OF SCALE COUNTS, Dromicus steindachneri, new species . 



