NORTH AMERICAN BATRACHIA AND REPTILIA. 
29 
plates; posterior wall of pit formed by anteorbital; general 
color hazel-brown, brightest on top of head; on sides 15-26 
dark blotches, somewhat resembling an inverted Y ; sides of 
head yellowish-white; chin and throat unspotted; beneath dull 
yellowish, with a series of 35-45 large dark blotches on each 
side; dorsal rows 22-23; G. 150-155. Eastern and Austroripa- 
rian regions. 
Family ELAPIDHC. 
Genus Elaps, Scliu. 
Body slender; tail short; head somewhat depressed, gen- 
erally continuous with body; scales smooth; anal entire; sub- 
caudal bifid; nasals two; loral none; anteorbital one; post- 
orbitals two. 
8. E. fulvius , subsp. fulvius , Linn. Harlequin Snake. 
Head black anteriorly with a yellow ring across the occipital 
region;, body annulated with alternating red and black rings, 14- 
19 of each, which are separated from one another by a narrow 
band of yellow; the black rings covering about eight scales, the 
red six, and the yellow one or two; tail with alternate rings of 
black and yellow; colors beneath the same, but duller; the red 
spaces spotted with black ; dorsal rows 15 ; G. 205-210. Aus- 
troriparian region. 
9. E. distans , Kenn. Body slender; annulated with alter- 
nating black and reddish rings, which are not separated by 
lighter ones; the black rings are narrow on the body, four or 
live scales wide, and are broad upon the tail, akout eight scales 
wide; the plain, unspotted, reddish rings of the back, three or 
four times as wide as the black ones; on the tail, only a third 
or fourth as wide; dorsal scales small. Florida. 
Family COLUBPJDH1. 
Artificial Synopsis of Genera. 
A. Dorsal scales smooth ; anal divided. 
a. Nasals one. 
1. Prefrontal one 6. Farancict. 
2. Prefrontals two or none. 
x. Anteorbital absent. 
fPostorbital one ; unicolor 1. Carphophiops. 
ifPostorbitals two; striped 5. Abastor. 
