130 



Leptotyphlops aiRnis (Boulenger). 

 A second record for this rare species is afforded by No. 18862, 

 Museum of Comparative Zoology, from Merlda, Venezuela, 

 collected by Colonel Wirt Robinson on June 11, 1908. This 

 locality is in the same mountainous region as the type locality, 

 which is Tdchira, somewhat to the westward of Merlda. 



Liophis decorata (Giinther). 



Three stages in the evolution of color pattern are shown by 

 specimens in the collection. No. 4539, Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, is a young example from the mountains of Alvarez, near 

 San Luis Potosi, Mexico; No. 18931, Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, a half-grown specimen from Fort Sherman, near Colon, 

 and an adult, No. 15310, Museum of Comparative Zoology, is from 

 Santa Cecilia, Costa Rica. 



In the smallest specimen the canthal and nuchal stripe is con- 

 tinuous and distinct, in the Panamanian example it is interrupted 

 on the left side behind the temporal region for a distance of about 

 two millimeters, while in the adult from Costa Rica the streak is 

 broken on each side so that two yellow black-edged spots are all 

 that is left, one between the parietal and anterior temporal and 

 the other on the nape. The canthal stripe tends also to disappear 

 with age. 



The dorsum of the youngest specimen is brown with three 

 longitudinal black lines; the lateral stripe, which runs on each side 

 between the fourth and j&fth scale-rows, is bordered mesially by a 

 light-colored zone. With age the vertebral line disappears and a 

 wide dark-brown streak appears in its place and this extends 

 laterally to the black side-lines from which it is separated by the 

 light-yellow mesial border. On the apex of each gastrostege in 

 the young there is a very tiny black dot, which is large and dis- 

 tinct in the half-grown but in the adult is almost completely 

 obliterated by the invasion of very dark brown pigment which 

 extends progressively downward from the black lateral streak. 

 Thus, comparing young with adult, in the former one observes a 

 snake with three black longitudinal dorsal lines; in the latter a 

 dark-brown snake with two light yellow lateral lines each bor- 

 dered inferiorly with very dark brown, almost black. Garman 

 (Bull. Essex Inst., vol. 19, 1887, p. 9 of separate) hinted at these 

 color changes but had only No. 4539, Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, before him to compare with the descriptions. 



The species has not been previously reported from Panama. 



Coniophanes punctigularis Cope. 

 A specimen taken by Messrs. Brooks and Wigglesworth at 

 Barro Colorado Island seems to represent the most southerly 

 record for this rather unusual species. 



