98 BULLETIN 114, UI^TITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



with the progressive development of the dorsal stripe, the lateral 

 pattern of californiae is gradually formed by a breaking up into 

 spots of the lateral portion of the white rings, and the development 

 of white centers in the dark scales between these areas. 



The development of the coloration beneath, in californiae, appears 

 to take place first by the formation of dark spots in the white portions 

 of the belly. These enlarge until the whole ventral surface except 

 for the lateral tips of the ventrals is a uniform dark brown or 

 black. While the belly is becoming thus overspread with black, 

 the white portions of the rings on the first row or two of scales are 

 becoming extended laterally into a continuous stripe bordering the 

 black of the belly. In the southern specimens, however, the belly 

 is generally immaculate, except for the ends of the ventral plates. 

 That this condition has been produced by a secondary development 

 of a midventral white line, beginning anteriorly and increasing in 

 length and width, is indicated by a specimen from San Jacinto 

 (Stanford University collection. No. 1216), and is borne out by the 

 majority of specimens from San Diego County. A few specimens, 

 however, indicate that the immaculate condition of the belly has 

 sometimes been produced by an extension onto the ventrals of the 

 continuous white of the first row or two of the dorsal scales. The 

 black in these cases disappears last from the midventral line, and the 

 ventrals show no darkening of their postero-lateral borders. 



Recently a most interesting confirmation was obtained of the 

 specimens collected at Fresno in 1879 by G. Eisen. In the spring 

 of 1918 two specimens were foimd by Van Denburgh and Evermann 

 in Fresno Coimty, at Jameson and Firebaugh, respectively. The 

 Jameson specimen (California Acad. Sci., no. 41668) is as uniformly 

 deep brown on the beUy as if the color had been painted on with a 

 brush; the white rings are nearly all complete on the dorsal scales; 

 on the first row, and overlapping the ends of the ventrals, the 

 white rings have fused laterally into a continuous stripe on each 

 side. In the Firebaugh specimen (CaHfomia Acad. Sci., no. 41700) 

 the belly is only a little less uniformly dark; but dorsally only the 

 first five white rings are continuous, the rest being broken into 

 lengthwise stripes that are mostly short, except for the middorsal 

 stripe which is prominent and practically continuous over nearly 

 two-thirds of the posterior portion of body and tail. From Los 

 Angeles County only a single specimen is known, and this is fully 

 as aberrantly marked as any of the examples from Fresno County. 

 Of the three from San Jacinto, one is rather aberrant, and the other 

 two are as perfect as those from San Diego. 



We may therefore summarize the situation by saying that (1) 

 typical ioylii is found throughout the region inhabited by cali- 



