218 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 

 List of specimens of Crotalue cerastc 



[No. 7. 



U.S. 





Nat. 



Sex and 



Mas. 



ago. 



No. 





18646 



ad. 



L8647 



ad. 



18G48 



ad. 



18649 



ad. 



18050 



ad. 



18651 



ad. 



18C52 



pan. 



18653 



pm. 



18654 



JUU. 



18655 



jim. 



18656 



jun. 



18657 



pin. 



18658 



ad. 



18659 



ad. 



18660 



ad. 



Locality. 



Palirunip Valley, Nov 



do : 



do 



do 



Indian Spring Valley, Nev 



do 



A sh Meadows ( 14 miles north o I') , Nev 



Sarcobatus Flat, Nev 



Amargosa Desert, Nev , 



Death Valley (Bennett Wells), Calif. 



Mohave Desert, Calif 



Borax Flat (water station), Calif 

 Panamint Valley, Calif 



do .: 



Lone Pine, Calif , 



Alti- 

 tude. 



Feet. 



4,500 



Date. 



Apr. 



. . . .do 



....do 



Apr. 



May 



....do 



Mar. 



June 



May 



Apr. 



Apr. 



Apr. 



Apr. 



Apr. 



June 



Collector. 



Merriatn. 

 ...do .... 

 ...do .... 



Bailey 



Merriam. . . 



Stephens . . 



Bailey 



Merriam. . . 



Bailey 



Merriam. . . 

 Stephens . . 



Nelson 



Bailey 



Palmer 



Kemarks. 



Type locality. 



Crotalus lucifer B. & G. 



The questions whether there is more than one separable form of this 

 species within the Pacific region and, in case of an affirmative answer, 

 what names are to be employed for the various forms, are yet open, 

 awaiting the accumulation of much additional material. It may even 

 be found that the name adopted above for the species is hot the oldest 

 tenable; but, not being able to settle that point at present, I retain 

 0. lucifer as undoubted in its application. On the other hand, that it is 

 a good and distinct species, well separated from C.confluentus, and not 

 a subspecies of the latter, I feel perfectly confident. 



The present species is characteristic of the interior valley and slopes 

 of California as contrasted with the Great Basin, and the boundary 

 between the two forms seems to be quite sharply drawn, at least in the 

 regions visited by the expedition. There is probably no stronger con- 

 trast among the reptiles of the same genus met with by the Death 

 Valley explorers than that between the pale and clay colored rattle- 

 snakes in the desert plains and mountains and the dark colored G. lucifer 

 which they obtained only in the San Joaquin Valley and in the moun- 

 tain slopes encircling it. 



[This species does not inhabit the Great Basin, but was found in a 

 number of localities on the west or coastal slope of the Sierra, and in 

 the San Joaquin Valley. Specimens were obtained at Old Fort Tejon, 

 in the Canada de las Uvas, and thence northward on the west slope of 

 the mountains to Tehachapi Pass, Kern Valley, Kaweah River, Kings 

 River Canon, the San Joaquin River, and the Merced River (on the 

 latter as high as 2,620 meters or 8,600 feet).— C. H. M.j 



