HERPETOLOGY OF LOWER CALIFORNIA. 1 33 



denticulated. The sublabials are separated from the in- 

 fralabials by granules. The anterior gulars are rather 

 large, and abruptly separated frorh the small posterior 

 gulars. The scales on the collar are very small, largest 

 centrally, smaller on edge. The ventral plates are ar- 

 ranged in eight longitudinal and thirty transverse rows. 

 The back is covered with small equal -sized granules. 

 The conical tail is provided with scales arranged in 

 whorls. The upper caudals have strong diagonal keels, 

 but the lower are smooth. There are sixteen femoral 

 pores. The hind limb is longer than the distance be- 

 tween the anus and the line of separation of the anterior 

 and posterior gulars. 



The back is clove brown, dotted with gray on single 

 granules posteriorly, with a median bluish white line 

 which bifurcates on the neck about a fourth of an inch 

 behind the occipital plates. There are two similar lines 

 on each side ; the first originating on the superciliaries 

 and with a faint continuation on the tail; the second start- 

 ing at the nostril and ending on the thigh. The ground 

 color of the sides is much paler than in V. hy^erythra, 

 being pale sepia. The general tint of the tail is hair 

 brown above, pale blue below. The ventral and subla- 

 bial plates, the chin, gular region, and collar, are all pale 

 blue. 



Length to anus 54 mm. Hind limb 44 mm. Fore 

 limb 22 mm. Head to ear 13 mm. Anus to gular fold 

 36 mm. Anus to anterior gulars 42 mm. Width of head 

 8 mm. 



The single specimen of Verticaria sericea has been 

 compared with ninety-eight of Verticaria hy^erythra and 

 thirty-eight of Verticaria hyferythra heldingi, without any 

 approach to its distinctive characters having been found. 



