N. A. REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS. 



5 



Liiiiie Coluher onlinatus. The authorities for the races 

 succeeding the first may or may not be written. To 

 write them, D E. sirtalis Say; Jan, is that described by 

 Say as Goluber jparietalis^ bat placed as a variety of sir- 

 talis by Jan. In the synonymy, the history of each of 

 the various forms is indicated under their respective let- 

 ters. The use of the letter leaves little or no exciise for 

 duplication, confiision, and excessive length in the name, 

 or for a questionable disregard of the earlier authorities. 

 It may be objected that the original name teils more about 

 the form than wonld n c^rrv^^- 1 ^' »ases 



^'the 

 s as 

 )nes 

 ^Y of 

 )ted 

 3rs, 

 ha- 

 ng- 

 ent 



or 



ild 



it 



California Academy of Sciences 



Presented by 



xxc»iiica, I» easier to learn or remember than a sino:le one. 



Letters are in use among English and French writers to 

 indicate varieties, the custom dating back half a Century 

 or more. 



The method suggested has been applied in a few of the 

 following genera. There are numerous others in which the 

 present list of species, as in Sceloporus, Geotriton, and 

 others, is susceptible of a considerable reduction, which 

 will be a necessary consequence of further study. 



