116 BULLETIIT 114, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



1842. Coluber eximus (part) Holbrook, N. Amer. Herp., ed. 2, vol. 3, p. 72. 

 1856. Abldbes triangulum, var. calligaster Hallowell, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 



Philadelphia, p. 244. 

 1859. OpMholus evansii Baird, Pacif. R. R. Surv., vol. 10, no. 4, p. 43 (quotation 



from Kennicott's forthcoming manuscript). 

 1859. Ophibolus evansii Kennicott, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 99 



(type locality, central Illinois; cotypes, U.S.N.M., no. 1593; 3 specimens; 



R. Kennicott, collector). — Coronella evansii Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat., 



vol. 2, fasc. 2, 1863, pp. 237, 243; Icon. Gen. Ophid., livr. 17, 1866, 



pi. 2, fig. 3. 

 1863. Coronella tigrina Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat., vol. 2, fasc. 2, pp. 238, 244. 

 1883. OpMholus triangulus calligaster Garman, S., Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 



vol. 8, no. 3, pt, 1, pp. 66, 155. 

 1892. Lampropeltis rhombomaculatus Garman, S., Bull. Essex Inst., vol. 24, 



p. 9. 



The first description of this form appeared in 1827 in the Genera 

 of North American Reptiles and a Synopsis of the Species, by R. 

 Harlan (p. 359). The description is applicable to the present form, 

 but is very indefinite. Harlan attributed the name calligaster to Say, 

 probably because the latter found the specimens, recognized them 

 as new, and proposed the name. But it was Harlan who drew up 

 and published the description. Thus Holbrook, in 1842 (vol. 3, 

 p. 72), said: '^Say seemed to consider the serpent he observed in 

 Missouri as new; but I am not aware that he described it as such. 

 Harlan, however, gave a description of it from specimens in the 

 Philadelphia Museum, and under the name calligaster, from the 

 beautiful arrangement of colors on the belly. ^^ That Harlan had 

 the present form before him when he drew up the description, while 

 not beyond doubt, yet appears fairly certain, for Cope in 1861 (1860, 

 255), says, in reference to the specimens from which Harlan 

 prepared his description, '^One of these, a stuffed skin, presented 

 to the Academy by Doctor Holbrook, and labelled by Doctor Hal- 

 lowell 'original specimen,' is now before us. We can assert its 

 identity with OpMholus evansii of Kennicott both from his descrip- 

 tion and from comparison with specimens collected by Doctor 

 Hammond in Kansas, and described by Hallowell (1856, 244). They 

 all have 25 rows of smooth scales.'' One of the specimens, howerer, 

 described by Hallowell (1856, 244) is probably an Elaphe since it 

 has 65 caudal plates and a divided anal. We have examined three 

 of Doctor Hammond's Kansas specimens and there is no doubt 

 about their identity, and two of these were evidently used by Hal- 

 lowell in his description and discussion of calligaster, just referred 

 to above. Kennicott, in 1860 (1859, 99) thought that Harlan had 

 before him a specimen closely related to what we now know as 

 Elajphe laeta, and so attributed Harlan's Coluher calligaster to the 

 genus ScotopMs (ElapJie). Kennicott undoubtedly had before him 

 specimens of ElapJie laeta which is considered as somewhat different 



