294 BAIRD'S REVISION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN TAILED-BATRACHIA, ETC. 



Iris dark chestnut brown almost black, with faint mottlings of bronze on the inner 

 border, and without the dark bar of P. ruber. In this latter species the iris is brassy 

 yellow with a dark longitudinal bar. 



Proportions of body most like those of P. salmonea, (Storer ) The insertion of the 

 hind legs is just half way between the snout and tip of tail. In P. ruber it is 

 considerably nearer the tail, which thus becomes shorter than the head and body. 

 The crown of the head is more elevated, and the occiput more convex in P. montanus 

 than in P. ruber, the scull also is more elongated. 



The spots on P. ruber are more numerous, and generally not so well defined. 

 When also the ground color in P. ruber is darker than the usual rich salmon color, 

 the spots are very much crowded, indistinct, and confluent with the ground tint. 



Costal furrows in P. monfa?ius 17; but 16 in P. ruber. 



Of the two specimens obtained, one was six inches long, theother three. The latter 

 was even more characteristically marked than the former. Both were described 

 when living. 



Plestiodon anthracinus, Baird. Size between Lygosoma lateralis and PlestiodoJi 

 fasciaius, without any indication of a vertebral line. Four narrow longitudinal 

 yellow lines, and on each side a broad stripe of anthracite black. 



Upper parts dark bronze ; each scale has a faint border of this color, with a central 

 cloud of the same. Small blotches on the plates of the head. The lateral band of 

 black begins at the nostril in a sharp point, passes back including the eyelids and 

 widening to the ear ; after this it continues parallel to beyond the vent, when it tapers 

 to the end of the tail. The tint of the black is that of highly polished anthracite coa\ 

 On each side of this lateral anthracite band 'is a narrow stripe of pale yellow, the 

 upper passing through the middle of one row of scales, the lower including the 

 contiguous edges of the rows. The remainder of the row of scales above the upper 

 yellow stripe is also anthracite, with which color the sides immediately below the 

 lower stripe are also tinged. Beneath yellowish white. Under the microscope each 

 lower scale exhibits a finely dotted reticulation. Tail dark blue above, beneath 

 lighter. Outside of legs and feet black like the sides, inside lighter. Iris black. 



In a single very old specimen the whole head to behind fore legs was tinged with 

 the red color found in almost all of the Plestiodontes. 



Measurements of a specimen of medium size. Total length 5 J inches; tail from 

 vent 31 ; head to ear | ; breadth of head \ ; greatest breadth of dorsal band -^^ ; of 

 lateral band |. 



Found quite abundantly about old logs, in the North Mountain near Carlisle, 

 .Pennsylvania. More plentiful than either Plestiodon /asciatus, or P. quijiquelineatus. 



