SYNOPSES AND DESCRIPTIONS 119 



behind, along the middle of the body; frequently one or two of the lateral 

 series are obsolete. 



Top of head brown, with a light band on the fore parts of supraciliaries 

 and frontal, a brown band from each parietal shield to the first blotch on 

 the neck, a brown band from the eye to the neck, separated from the 

 parietal by a light space, a light band from the nostril around the angle 

 of the mouth, and a vertical bar of light color on each side of the pit. 

 Labials dark. Lower lip with two light spaces on each side. Marks of 

 head sometimes obsolete. Hab. Mississippi Valley from Ohio. 



Crotalus miliarius. 



I/inni, 1766, Syst. Nat., ed. XII, I, 372. 



Small. Body fusiform ; head distinct, broad behind, narrow and angular 

 forward, with flat crown ; tail short, rattle small. Eye small. Rostral high, 

 broad near its upper extremity. Anterior nasal much larger. Nostril small. 

 Loreal four-sided, largely in contact with the prefrontal. Two anteorbitals, 

 upper much broader. One to four small scales in front of the pit. Sub 

 and postorbitals four to six, anterior large. Cheek scales large, smooth. 

 Labials 10 — 12. Infralabials 8 — 13. Scales in 21 — 23 rows, median 

 pointed, all keeled, or the outer smooth. Ventrals 130 — 139-1-27 — 35, 

 posterior subcaudals often bifid. 



Greyish or ashy brown, varying from quite light to very dark. A dorsal 

 series of 30 — 43, large light-edged more or less irregular black spots, band- 

 like or divided toward the tail. Three series of alternating smaller spots 

 on the flank, the upper often indistinct — sometimes obsolete, the lower on 

 the edge of the abdomen. The majority of specimens have a narrow red- 

 dish band along the middle of the back, more distinct between the spots, 

 though apparently crossing them. Three series of alternating spots on the 

 belly, blending posteriorly, commonly irregular forward. Tail with six to 

 twelve transverse bands. Head marked as in C. catenatus. Usually the 

 parietal bands do not meet on the neck in the first spot of the dorsal series. 

 The light band across the frontal and supraeiliaries is sometimes indistinct, 

 as are also the vertical bars on each side of the pit. The light band from 

 the nostril around the angle of the mouth and the two spots on each side of 

 the lower jaw are more distinct. The dark band from the eye to the neck 

 varies much in length. Hab. Southern United States to Mexico. 



