Mat, 1893.] REPTILES OF THE DEATH VALLEY EXPEDITION. 195 



of the Virgin, about 8 miles below Bunkerville, near the eastern 

 boundary of Nevada, May 8, 1891. It was dead when found, and mea- 

 sured 475 mra (a little more than 18£ inches) in total length. We 

 were told by the Mormons that the species occurs in the Lower Santa 

 Glara Valley, in southwestern Utah, but is rare. — C. H. M.j 



Family Anguidje. 



G rrhonotus scincicauda (Skilton). 



The question of the status of the various Gcrrhonoti credited to Cali- 

 fornia is one of the most difficult and most intricate in North American 

 saurology, partly on account of the great amount of individual varia- 

 tion, partly because of the comparatively scanty, and in many respects 

 unsatisfactory material. Yet, with about one hundred specimens before 

 me, I am able to distinguish a number of separable forms. Nothing 

 would be easier than to bring them all together under one name, and 

 with ouly a limited number of specimens I might be tempted to do so, 

 but the result would be very far from the truth, and by so doing we 

 would only delay the true solution of the question instead of promoting 

 it. 



Let me first remark that I regard the Cape St. Lucas form separable, 

 and that from Bocourt's rather detailed description of the type (Miss. 

 Sc, Mex., Sept., livr. 5, 1878, pp. 357-359) I believe that it is entitled 

 to the name Gerrhonotus mid Hear hiatus. This form does not occur in 

 Upper California, nor do I believe that it will be found in Lower Cali- 

 fornia outside of the Cape region proper. 



The next question relates to the name of the present form which 

 inhabits, so far as the localities embraced in the present report are 

 concerned, the chaparral belt of the San Joaquin Valley and of the San 

 Jacinto and San Bernardino Mountains. I have so far been unable to 

 make a distinction between the so-called G. multicarinatus of authors, 

 from the State of California, G. scincicauda, and G. grandis, and as G. 

 scincicauda is the oldest of these, I retain it for the present form, i. e., 

 the one with all the upper scales strongly cariuated, the azygos pre- 

 frontal large, the body very elongated, and the coloration characterized 

 by about nine continuous dark bands across the back. It is possible 

 that Wiegmann's G. cceruleus (1828) may belong here, but without the 

 exact locality of the type being known, and without an opportunity to 

 examine the specimen, which moreover seems to be very abnormally 

 colored, it would be very unwise to adopt that name. 



The nomenclature of the other separable forms will be discussed fur- 

 ther on under their respective heads. 



According to Mr. T. S. Palmer, the present form is confined to the 

 chaparral belt. Only two specimens were secured by the expedition. 



