. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. REVISION OF THE KING SNAKES. 181 neck (fig. 52), Anterior to the black band the head is reddish or brownish to the snout, or the latter may be grayish. The markings on the top of the head vary much with locality; in southern Missouri and Arkansas there is much black, lightened by streaks or vague spots of the ground color; in eastern Kansas the black may be restricted to the tips of the parietals while the rest of the head is without markings, or the black of gentilis may be more prominent; eastward the markings typical of tnangvlum appear i
. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. REVISION OF THE KING SNAKES. 181 neck (fig. 52), Anterior to the black band the head is reddish or brownish to the snout, or the latter may be grayish. The markings on the top of the head vary much with locality; in southern Missouri and Arkansas there is much black, lightened by streaks or vague spots of the ground color; in eastern Kansas the black may be restricted to the tips of the parietals while the rest of the head is without markings, or the black of gentilis may be more prominent; eastward the markings typical of tnangvlum appear in varying com- binations and perfection. Light, black-bordered superciliary spots are generally present (fig. 52) and often there is a black line from the eye to the angle of the mouth. Syspila is bounded on three sides by closely allied forms, from which it is not separated by well-defined physical barriers. Consequently in identification must be expected. From gentilis it is best distinguished by the restriction of black on the head to the posterior portions of the parietal plates, and the narrower black cross bands on the body which do not tend to overspread the red areas. Fig. 52.—LAMPEOPELTia SYSPILA ( NO. 61680, Jefferson County, Missouri). About li x nat. size. Showing typical coloe pattern of anteeioe end of body. dorsally; from amaura it may best be known by the greater number of transverse whitish bands, usually 25 or more, the presence of ventro-lateral alternating spots, and the breaking up or practical absence of black on the frontal and anterior portion of the parietal plates; from triangulmn it may be distinguished by the smaller number of dorsal saddles—35 or less—the presence of only one series of spots in alternation with the dorsal saddles, the yellow half collar behind the head, the incompleteness of the head pattern of triangulum, and the generally red color of the dorsal saddles as contrasted with the usually brown o
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