The Poisonous Snakes of Texas. 
45 
•small, numerous, uniform. Four rows of scales between the snborbital 
series (which only extends to the center of the orbit) and the labials. 
Labials fifteen or eighteen, nearly uniform. Dorsal series twenty-seven 
to twenty-nine. Dorsal blotches quadrate, concave before and behind; 
intervals greater behind. Spots transversely quadrate posteriority, ulti- 
mately becoming ten or twelve half rings. Two transverse lines on 
superciliaries, inclosing about one-third. Stripe from superciliary to 
angle of jaw crosses angle of the mouth on the second row above labial. 
Eostral margined with lighter. 
This species bears a considerable resemblance to Crotalus atiox, but 
the body is more slender and compact. Scales on top of the head ante- 
rior to the superciliaries nearty uniform in size. Line of scales across 
from one nostril to the other consists of six, and not four, as in Crotalus 
atrox. Superciliaries more prominent. Labial series much smaller. 
Upper anterior orbitals (preoculars) much smaller, as also is the ante- 
rior nasal. Scales on the top of the head less carinated. Scales between 
superciliaries smaller and more numerous, five or six in number instead 
of four. Two lateral rows of scales smooth, first, second and third grad- 
ually increasing in size. Scales more linear than in Crotalus atrox. 
General color yellowish brown with a series of subquadrate dark 
blotches, with the corners rounded and the anterior and posterior sides 
frequently concave, the exterior convex. These blotches are ten or eleven 
scales wide, and four or five long, lighter in the center, and margined 
for one-third of a scale with light yellowish. The intervals along the 
back light brown, darker than the margin of the blotches. Anteriorly 
the interval between the dark spots is but a single scale; posteriorly it 
is more, becoming sometimes two scales, where also the spots are more 
rhomboidal or lozenge shaped; nearer the tail, however, they become 
transversely quadrate. The fundamental theory of coloration might 
be likened to that of Crotalus adamanteus , viz. : of forty or fifty light 
lines decussating each other from opposite sides ; but the angles of decus- 
sation, instead of being acute, are obtuse, and truncated or rounded off 
throughout. Along the third, fourth, and fifth lateral rows of scales 
is a series of indistinct brown blotches covering a space of about four 
scales, and falling opposite to the dorsal blotches; between the blotches 
and opposite to the intervals of the dorsal blotches are others less dis- 
tinct. Along the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth rows is a second series 
of obsolete blotches, each covering a space of about four scales, and just 
opposite the intervals between the dorsal spots. The dorsal and lower 
series are separate by an interval of three scales, this interval light 
brown. Beneath the color a dull yellowish, and ten or twelve darker 
half rings are visible on the tail. 
In point of coloration the principal features as compared with Cro- 
