192 [October, 
the same form ; the last segment or active polyp is campanulate and is supplied 
with cylindrical, ciliated arms arranged in a circle around the mouth. 
Urnatella gracilis, Leidy. 
Stems single, or in groups up to six in number, attached at the lower ex- 
tremity by means of a sienna colored granular substance. Urniform segments 
.225 m.m. long by .18 m.m. broad, becoming smaller towards the free end of 
the stems ; body portion of each urniform segment translucent whitish, with 
sienna colored transverse striae and punetae, and having on each side near the 
bottom a rounded process, the remains of former branches ; the narrow top and 
bottom portion of the segments brown in color and annulated. The antepenul- 
timate and penultimate segments and their branches oblong, translucent. Polyp 
.225 to .45 m.m. long, campanulate ; expanded mouth circular, the diameter 
equal to the length of the body, surrounded by fourteen cylindrical, ciliated, re- 
tractile arms. Stems up to 4 m.m. in length. 
Habitation. On the underside of stones in the river Schuylkill below low 
water, in Philadelphia city. 
Plumatella vesicularis, Leidy. 
Ccencecium radiating and branching, attached, colorless and transparent; each 
segment slightly dilated and much broader than the protuberant orifices of exit. 
Length of the segments about 1. m.m., breadth 1 m.m. Animal colorless. Ova 
oval lenticular, (with an annulus but without spines.) 
Habitation. Found in the Schuylkill river with the preceding, on the under 
side of flat stones. 
Remarks. This species of Plumatella is as limpid as the water in which it 
lives ; and it resembles rows of colorless vesicles with a whitish line passing 
through their axis. Frequently it is observed with rows of imbricated blackish 
eggs instead of the latter line. Patches are found from a quarter of an inch to 
two inches square. 
Notices of new Reptiles from Texas. 
By Edward Hallowell, M.D. 
Family LACERTID^. 
Genus Cnemidophorus, Dum. et Bib. 
Ciiemidophorus guttatus, nob. 
Char. Head olive color ; body greenish olive, with eight lines of the same 
color; intermediate spaces upon sides brown; sides presenting numerous white 
spots arranged in longitudinal rows ; under surface dark blue, marked with 
white ; of anterior extremities deep blue ; of posterior extremities and of tail 
white; scales of the body very small; subgular fold margined with a row of 
large smooth scales ; several smaller rows anterior to them ; eight rows of 
scales upon the abdomen ; 16 femoral pores on each side very distinct. 
Dimensions. Length of head 1 inch ; greatest breadth f in. ; length of head 
and body to vent 3$ inches ; of tail 4f inches ; of anterior extremities 1 l-8th in.; 
of posterior 21 in. 
Habitat. Texas. , 
Gen. Obs. Readily distinguished from Ameiva sexlineata ; allied to Cnem. 
gularis, but the latter is without spots. 
Family CROTALID^. 
Genus Crotaltjs, Linn- 
Crotalus ornatus, nob. 
Char. Three large plates in front of upper part of head on each side ; nasals 
large ; posterior part of head covered with smooth scales ; rostral rather large ; 
eighteen supralabials, the 6th, 7th and 8th the largest ; a small plate between 
the rostral and first supralabial and anterior frontal ; 27 rows of scales ; ground 
1854.] 193 
color slate or grayish above, with transverse, brown, lozenge-like bands, their 
external margins extending to the abdomen with intermediate yellow spots and 
yellowish markings enclosed within the brown, sometimes two in number; the 
brown lozenge-like spots become indistinct posteriorly and contain no yellowish 
spots, giving to this part of the upper portion of the body a sombre appearance, 
compared with the beautiful variegated robe of the rest; about 17 of these dis- 
tinct brown lozenge-like spots maybe counted upon the back; tail entirely 
black ; throat and chin white ; abdomen light straw color without spots, but 
shaded with grayish. 194 abdom. scut. ; 3 bifid post-abdom. scut.; 19 subcaudal ; 
7 rattles in the present specimen. 
Dimensions. Breadth of head posteriorly li inches ; length of head la inches ; 
of body 3 feet 5 inches ; of tail 2 inches ; of rattle 1 inch. 
Habitat. Near Pecos River, N. W. Texas. 
The reptiles above described were found by Dr. Heermann, Naturalist to the 
expedition for the survey of a railroad route to the Pacific, under command of 
Lieut. Parke, U. S. Top." Eng. 
Descriptions of new Reptiles from Guinea. 
By Edward Hallowell, M.D. 
Family VIPERID^. 
Genus Echis Merrem. 
Char. Subcaudal plates in a single row; nostrils minute, in suture of two 
small scales; the anterior frontal shields minute, smooth ; pupil round ; eyes sur- 
rounded by small scales; supraciliary shields small, scale-like or single, elon- 
gated and distinct ; scales elongate, keeled at the tip. (Gray.) 
Echis squamigera, nob. 
Sp. char. Rostral plate much more extended in the transverse direction than 
vertically; eleven distinct plates along the margin of the upper jaw, of which 
the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th are the largest ; the inferior margin of the eye opposite 
to the 4th, 5th and 6th ; eye surrounded with scales, of which the two anterior 
are the largest, and of nearly equal size ; anterior geneials much narrower than 
the posterior ; neck contracted ; body slender, compressed, thicker in the mid- 
dle, with 18 rows of lanceolate and strongly carinated scales; the lateral and in- 
ferior rows do not differ in size from the rest, and are also carinated ; tail short 
and tapering with strongly carinated quadrangular scales. 
Coloration. Olive green above, darker upon the tail, the scales for the most 
part tipped with yellow; posterior half of body with numerous transverse yel- 
low fasciae, about half an inch apart. 
Abdom. scuta 155 ; 1 prae-abdom. single^; 1 post-abdom. bifid ; 58 single plates 
under the tail. 
Dimensions. Length of head 1 inch; breadth \ inch; length of body 17$ 
inches ; of tail 4 inches; circumference at middle 1| inches. 
Habitat Near the river Gaboon, Guinea. One specimen, presented by M. P. 
Bellonni Duchaillu. 
Gen. obs. This is evidently not the Echis pavo, or Echis varia of Reuss, Mus. 
Senkenberg., band 1, p. 157, 160. It has a certain resemblance to the figure of 
the Vipera pyramidarum, Descript. de PEgypte, t.7, fig. 1, but the scales upon 
the head in that figure are represented as all of the same size, and the markings 
upon the body are not the same. It has no resemblance to the Horatta Pam of 
Russell, Indian Serpents fig. 11. It is well characterized by the larger scales 
upon the vertex. But two species of Echis have been heretofore described. 
Fam. HYLAD.E. 
Hyla punctata, nob. 
Gen. char. Head large, depressed ; eyes very large and prominent ; skin 
smooth, for the most part above, with a few small scattered tubercles, quite