ese NORTH AMERIC. Vol. No. 5 = poe — NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY: OR, x DESCRIP TLON OF THE REPTILES INHABITING THE UNITED STATES, BY JOHN EDWARDS HOLBROOK, M. D. PROFESSOR OF ANATOMY IN THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA; MEMBER OF THE ROYAL MEDICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH; CORRESPONDID [EMBER OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY ; OF THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA; OF THE NEW YORK LYCEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, AND OF THE BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY. Von iti. J. DOBSON, 106 CHESTNUT STREET. LONDON: ROBERT BALDWIN, PATERNOSTER ROW.—PARIS; HECTOR BOSSANGE, NO. 11 QUAT VOLTAIRE.—HAMBURG; PERTHES, BESSER & MAUKE. 1842. ~g, G. DORSEY, PRINTER, LIBRARY STREET. CONTE 1. Crotalus durissus, - 2 adamanteus, = 3. oregonus, - 4. Crotalophorus miliarius, oD. tergeminus, 6. Kirtlandi, 7. Trigonocephalus piscivorus, 8. contortria, 9. atro-fuscus, 10. Elaps fulvius, — - - 11. Coluber constrictor, — - 12. obsoletus, - 13: testaceus, - 14, gultatus, - 15, eximius, - 1G: Couperi, - Ue vernalis, : 18. punctatus, - Vou. WI—1 Di Se 28. 29. 30. Coluber Alleghaniensis, quadrivittatus, Coronella getula, Sayi, - rhombo-maculata, doliata, Helicops erythrogrammus, abacurus, . Brachyorrhos amenus, Calamaria elapsoidea, striatula, = Rhinostoma coccinea, CONTENTS. NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY. Orver HI. OPHIDIA. Brogniart. a Serrents form a very natura] order, as they present peculiar anatomical and natural characters. “Of all reptiles, they best merit the name, as they creep only by alternate folds of their long and slender bodies, and though deprived of feet, or obvious external organs of locomotion, they glide swiftly on the ground, ascend trees, move rapidly along their branches, and even swim with great 0 facility. The order Ophidia includes the families Anguina and Serpentia, of which latter I shall only speak in this place. Cuvier again subdivides the family Serpentia into two tribes, Amphisbena and Serpentes, or true serpents, which are the only ones of the Order found in the United States. SerPentes.—Cuwvier. CHARACTERS. 1. The head varies in form; the branches (rami) of the lower jaw-bone are not firmly united to each other at their anterior extremities, but are joined by 4 OPHIDIA. an extensible ligament which allows of their being drawn apart laterally;— the bones of the upper jaw are also connected in the same way to the inter- maxillary, and allow the same sort of motion. Even the palatine bones participate in this general mobility and dilatability, which is still further increased by the tympanal bone or pedicle of the lower jaw, which is always suspended to another bone analogous to the mastoid process of the temporal, and is attached to the cranium by muscles and ligaments. From this structure, and from the mobility and distensibility of each of these bones, it results that the mouth may be so widely opened as to receive an object of greater dimensions than the animal itself. 2. The mouth is of variable size, and is furnished with lips; and the upper and lower jaws, as well as the palatine arches in all, with only one exception, (Oligodon,) are armed with teeth. These teeth are solid, of simple construc- tion, and are always situated on the margins of the mavillary bones, and not on the inner margin, as in some of the lizards. As the serpents do not masticate their food, these teeth are organized for seizing and killing their prey, or for retaining it; they are, accordingly, poimted and smooth, and curved or arched backwards, to prevent its escape. 3. The tongue is very long, slender, extensible, retractile within a sheath placed at the root, with the apex bifid, and terminating in two slender semi- cartilaginous filaments. 4, There are no movable eyelids, nor is there a tympanal membrane. 5, The body is exceedingly elongated—destitute of a sternum or of any external members of locomotion;—though in some genera (Boa) there are concealed rudiments of posterior limbs near the vent. The ribs and vertebre make up nearly the whole skeleton; the former surround a great portion of the circumference of the body, and are only wanting at the tail; the latter are curiously arranged, the body of one is articulated by a convex surface to a OPHIDIA. = cavity in front of the succeeding vertebra. This structure of ball and socket allows of free lateral motion; but the spinous processes of the back prevent motion, up and down, to any great extent. The whole body is covered above with scales, mostly small and imbricated, and below with large quadrangular plates. 6. The trachea is very long, and surrounded by simple, complete, cartilaginous rings only at its anterior half; the lung is single, and extends nearly the whole length of the body. In some is found a rudiment of a second lung. 7. The heart is placed far back, and is provided with two auricles and a single ventricle. 8. Serpents are for the most part oviparous—the eggs are covered with a calcareous flexible shell—the young burst from them into life with the same form they are permanently to retain. ‘There are some, however, among the poisonous serpents that are viviparous. So far the true serpents agree in general in their characters and organization; but in some is developed an entirely new set of organs, which inyest their possessors with singular and noxious properties. This peculiarity of structure leads to a very natural division of the serpent tribe into two great sections—venomous and non-venomous serpents. Venomous serpents are again distributed into different families, according to the arrangement of their fangs, dilatability of jaws, pits about the head, Wc. We. ba I.—Venomous Serpents, with Isolated Movable Fangs. Famiry. CROTALOIDEA. These are the most remarkable of the Serpent tribe; their habits and peculiar properties have caused them to be regarded with universal abhorrence. CHARACTERS. 1. The head is generally large; the superior maxillary bones are small, and attached by ligaments to a long pedicle, analogous to the external pterrigoid apophysis. 2. The upper jaw bones are destitute of teeth, but are armed with sharp-pointed, pervious, movable fangs, through which the poisonous fluid flows. These fangs are sometimes only grooved—at others there is a complete canal, opening near their extremity, but in all instances these channels communicate with the excretory ducts of the gland. The fangs, when not erect, are con- cealed by a fold in the gum, from which they can be raised at the will of the animal. Behind these are the germs or rudiments of several other fangs, destined to become developed, and to replace the original, should these be destroyed by accident, as not unfrequently happens. 3. The palate bones are armed with two rows of small, hard, solid, and fixed teeth. 8 CROTALOIDEA. 4, The gland that secretes the poison is situated near the eye, under the temporal muscle, so as to be compressed by its contraction. ‘The poison varies in intensity perhaps in the different genera, but more so according to the state of the animal. It is most active in the healthy snake—in the summer season —when it has been long retained—when the animal is greatly irritated, Wc. &c. To be deadly, however, it must be introduced into the circulation, for it can be taken into the stomach with impunity. 5. These serpents are all viviparous; or, the egg is retained in the female until it is hatched, and the young animal is then expelled alive. durissus. Crotalus Lite Frard = PS Duvad Sera prren® CROTALUS —Linnzus. Genus Croratus.—Cuaracters. Head very large, triangular, rounded in front and covered above, with small plates in front and with scales on the vertex and occiput; a deep pit between the eye and nostril; upper jaw armed with a movable fang on each side; body thick, robust; tail short, thick, and terminating in rattles, which are corneous productions of the epidermis; belly and under surface of tail covered with plates. CROTALUS DURISSUS.—Linnzus. Plate J. Cuaracrers. Head large, flattened above, triangular, rounded anteriorly, covered with plates only in front, and with minute scales on the vertex and occiput. There is a deep pit between the nostril and eye; upper jaw armed with poisonous fangs; body elongated and robust, above ash colour, with irregular transverse dusky bars, confluent near the tail, vertebral line yellow, flanks tinged with same colour; tail short, thick, and furnished with rattles. Pl. 177, Se. 25. 5. wo Syyonymes. Crotalus durissus, Aadm, Act. Stockh., ann. 1752, p. 310; 1773, pp. 52, 1 Rattlesnake, Catesby, Carolina, &c., vol. ii. pl. Ixi. Crotalus durissus, Linnwus, Syst. Nat. Lin., vol. i. p. 372. Crotalus durissus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. Lin., vol. i. part ili. p. 1081. Le durissus, Lacépede, Hist. des Serp., tom. ii. p. 423. Crotalus durissus, Latretlle, Hist. Nat. Rept., tom. iii. p. 190. Crotalus atricaudatus, Latreil/e, Hist. Nat. Rept., tom. iii. p. 209. Crotalus durissus, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. vy. p. 304, pl. lxviil. Vor. lil —2 10 CROTALUS DURISSUS. Crotalus atricaudatus, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. v. p. 316. Crotalus horridus, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. iii. p. 317, pl. Ixxxviil. Le Crotale 4 queue noire, Bosc, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. vi. p. 555. Crotalus durissus, ar/an, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 132. Banded Rattlesnake, Vulgo. Description. The head is enormously large, triangular, but broad and truncate anteriorly, covered with plates only in front, and with minute scales on the vertex and occiput; the rostral plate is large and triangular, with its basis downwards and its apex upwards and truncate; the frontal plates are also triangular, with their bases directed backwards. There are two nasal plates; the anterior is quadri- lateral and excavated behind; the posterior is lunated in front to complete the nostril. The superior orbital plates are regularly oval, the greatest extent of the oval being in the antero-posterior direction; their outer margin forms a strongly marked projection over the eye. There are thirteen labial plates to the upper jaw, those in front larger and quadrilateral, the posterior smaller and rhomboidal; above the labial plates is a row of small scales or plates, continuous with the inferior orbital. The anterior orbital is quadrilateral and very long; the posterior is of the same form, but only half the size. There are four small inferior orbital plates, which complete the lower walls of the orbit. Above the labial range is a row of small scales, that form the lower walls of a deep pit, completed above by a large lunated plate; this pit is situated midway between the nostril and the eye, but on a lower plane. The nostrils are large, and very near the snout, but open laterally. The eyes are large, and extremely brilliant when the animal is enraged; the pupil is dark, oval and vertical; the iris flame colour. The mouth is large, the jaws strong, the upper furnished with poisonous fangs. ‘The neck is very much contracted, and covered with carinated scales, larger than those on the head. The body is elongated, but thick, and covered with rough carinated rhomboidal scales above, and broad plates below. The tail is short, slightly conical, and sustains a greater or less number of rattles. s Cotour. The superior surface of the head is ash colour, with a brownish band CROTALUS DURISSUS. 1a passing from the eye to the commissure of the mouth. The neck and body are pale ash colour, with a vertebral line of yellow, including three scales; behind the occiput on each side of this line is an oblong dark spot. The body is marked with a triple series of dark irregular blotches and bars along the back. In front the blotches of the vertebral series are oblong transversely, widely emarginate before and behind; they vary, however, in shape, near the middle of the body; they resemble chevrons, with an acute angle towards the head; beneath the termi- nations of these spots on the flanks is a row of sub-quadrate dark spots; near the tail the vertebral and lateral series unite to form a band, and between these there is another row of obsolete grey spots. The abdomen is dirty reddish-straw colour, freckled with minute black dots. Dimensions. Lenoth of head, 1% inches; greatest breadth of head, 14 inches; t=) 3 f=) r] lenoth of body, 40 inches; length of tail, 34 inches; length of nine rattles, 2 inches; fan) a | ’ to) b) So ’ total length, 474 inches; greatest circumference of body, 6 inches. ‘The specimen described had one hundred and seventy-seven large broad plates on the abdomen, and twenty-five under the tail. Hasrrs. The Crotalus durissus lives on rabbits, squirrels, rats, &c., and in general is a remarkably slow and sluggish animal, lying quietly in wait for his prey, and neyer wantonly attacking nor destroying animals, except as food, unless disturbed by them, A single touch, however, will effect this; even rustling the leaves in his neighbourhood is sufficient to irritate him. On these occasions he immediately coils himself, shakes his rattles violently in sign of rage, and strikes at whatever is placed within his reach. In his native woods one may pass within a few feet of him unmolested; though aware of the passenger’s presence, he either lies quiet or glides away to a more retired spot—unlike some of the innocent snakes that I have known attack passers-by at certain seasons of the year. He never follows the object of his rage, whether an animal that has unwarily approached so near as to touch him, or only a stick thrust at him to provoke his anger, but strikes on the spot, and prepares to repeat the blow, or he may slowly retreat like an unconquered enemy, sure of his strength, but not 12 CROTALUS DURISSUS. ~ choosing further combat. It is remarkable that he never strikes unless coiled; so that if once thrown from this position, he may be approached with less danger. As to the fascinating or charming power of the Rattlesnake, I have every reason to believe it a fable; a modification of that of the basilisk of the ancients, “a creature whose deadly glance would alone prove fatal.” Indeed, this belief in fascination does not, according to Dr. Barton, belong to the Indians, as the reply of a “much respected Delaware” to Heckwelder may prove: “The Rattlesnake obtains its food merely by slyness and a persevering patience; it knoweth as well where to watch its prey as a cat does, and it succeeds as well.” The Rev. Dr. Bachman, an excellent naturalist, also informs me that he has more than once observed Rattlesnakes watching for hours at the root of large trees, on the branches of which sported some innocent squirrel, unconscious of the “charmer below;” but woe betide him should he descend to the earth in search of water, or of fallen nuts or acorns. There are even still more tales of the charming power of the Black than of the Rattlesnake, to whom it would be useless, for he is bold, lively, active, and climbs the loftiest trees in pursuit of his prey, while the Rattlesnake waits patiently below.* Mr. Rittenhouse once observed the peculiar melancholy, and fluttering, tremu- lous motion of a red-winged maize-thief, like a bird “said to be charmed.” “Suspecting that it was disturbed by a serpent, he threw a stone at the place whence the noise proceeded; the bird flew away, but soon returned, and, on * Much has been said lately about the Rattlesnake’s power of climbing trees. For this his organization seems to me ill adapted; his body is thick and clumsy, the tail short, and the rattles too, which are easily broken, would form an awkward appendage in climbing; while in those snakes that climb with great facility, the body is slender, the tail very long and delicate, and may at times be used as a prehensile instrument. But a full account of the curious organization of the Rattlesnake—of its poison, and of its effects on other animals— will be given in the anatomical part of this work. CROTALUS DURISSUS. 13 approaching, he found it perched on the back of a large Black-snake, in the act of swallowing a young bird. The snake was killed, and the old bird flew away.” Thus it is the serpent seeks the nest, or young birds; it is seen by the parent, who darts upon him in an agitated manner—makes a plaintive cry; it flies away, and again returns to attack the robber, with beak and wings, until he is driven off; or, “what not unfrequently happens, she falls a victim to maternal solicitude” —and thus ends the fascination. } If the Rattlesnake has other “charming powers,” they lay in the horror of its appearance, or in the instinctive sense of danger that seizes a feeble animal fallen suddenly into the presence of an enemy of such a threatening aspect—rather than to any mysterious influence not possessed by all venomous or ferocious animals upon their weak, timid, and defenceless prey. In Catesby’s time, when the country was less settled, Rattlesnakes were common enough; and he relates stories of their entering dwelling-houses, and of one having even shared his bed, undiscovered; but his accounts are so strange at the present day, that we must suppose him deceived by the servants of the house where they are said to have occurred in February, a season at which the Rattlesnake is never abroad. At present it is rarely met with, keeping far from all settlements, where its greatest enemy, the hog, is to be found. Even sportsmen are seldom under any apprehension on their account; yet I have more than once known dogs killed by them when the hunters have penetrated into woods at a distance from settlements. GeocrapnicaL Disrrisution. The Crotalus durissus has the widest range of all our Rattlesnakes, being found in nearly all parts of the United States. Kalm saw it in lat. 45°, near Lake Champlain, and I have seen specimens from the borders of the Gulf of Mexico, and as far west as Red river; and Dr. Pickering informs me that Say met with it in lat. 40°, on the Mississippi. 14 CROTALUS DURISSUS. GeneraL Remarks. ‘There can be no doubt that this animal was first made known to naturalists by Catesby, whose plate of it is too good to be mistaken. Kalm, the celebrated Swedish traveller, next observed it in the northern states of the Union, and gave an accurate scientific description of it, from which Linneus extracted the characters that distinguish the Crotalus durissus of the tenth edition of his Systema Nature. Linneus’s account of our Rattlesnake is, however, not clear, for he says it is marked with “maculis rhombois nigris disco albis,” while to the South American animal he attributes the habits of the durissus, as taken from IKalm: “Venenatis- simus, antidotum senega; aves sciurosque in faucibus revocat.” ‘The only method then remaining to determine to which animal he applied the specific term “durissus,” is to consult his references, and then his meaning is clear; for no one doubts that Kalm described our animal, and even Seba’s plate is a good one. Shaw seems to have confounded this animal with the Crotalus horridus, although the greater part of his description is copied from Catesby, which could only refer to the Crotalus durissus, or Banded Rattlesnake, under which latter name indeed Shaws speaks of it. It is next found mentioned as the Crotalus atricaudatus by Bosc, who supposes it to be a new species, in which he is followed by Latreille and Daudin; but there can be no doubt at present, that they are one and the same animal, as in the young the tail is generally black, and even in the adult I have seldom seen it otherwise. It is commonly supposed that the number of rattles mark the age of the animal, a new one being added annually to those already existing. It is now certain that Rattlesnakes have been known to gain more than one rattle in a year, and to lose in proportion; the exact number being regulated no doubt by the state of the animal as to health, nourishment, liberty, &c. I have known two rattles added in one year, and Dr. Bachman has observed four produced in the same length of time. CROTALUS DURISSUS. 15 Mr. Peale of the Philadelphia Museum, kept a living female Rattlesnake for fourteen years. It had, when it came into his possession, eleven rattles, several were lost annually, and new ones took their place; at its death, after fourteen years confinement, there were still but eleven joints, although it had increased four inches in length. It is thus evident that the growth of these appendages is irregular, and that the age of the animal cannot be determined from their number. The number of rattles vary much; the greatest I ever saw was twenty-one, all of which were perfect. Crotalus adamanteus. Sera pire? PS Duvat, Leth. Prwe* Le CROTALUS ADAMANTEUS.— Beauvais. Plate I. Cuaracters. Head very large, triangular, rounded in front, flattened above, covered with plates in front and with scales behind, and on the vertex; a deep pit between the eye and nostril; upper jaw furnished with fangs; body above dark brown or dusky, marked with a series of large, regularly rhomboidal spots, continuous, and extending from the head to the extremity of the tail; abdomen dirty yellowish-white. Pl. 172. Caud. Pl. 25. Rattles variable in number. Synonymes. Crotalus adamanteus, Beawvais, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc., vol. iv. p. 368. Crotalus rhombifer, Latret/le, Hist. Nat. Rept., tom. iii. p. 197. Crotalus rhombifer, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. y. p. 323, pl. Ix. fig. 22. Crotalus durissus, Daudin, Gen. Zool., vol. iii. p. 233, fig. 89, not the description. Crotalus rhombifer, Merrem, Versuch eines Syst. der Amphib., p. 157. Crotalus horridus, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 133, Description. The head is enormously large, triangular, but rounded in front; covered with plates anteriorly, and with scales posteriorly and on the vertex. The rostral plate is small, triangular, larger below, narrowed above; the frontal plates are small and quadrilateral. There are two nasal plates; the anterior large, quadrilateral, and concave on its posterior margin; the posterior irregularly triangular, lunated in front to complete the nostril. The superior orbital plates are oval and large, the greatest extent being in the antero-posterior direction, with their outer margins greatly projecting. There are two anterior orbital plates; the upper larger and quadrilateral, the lower smaller. ‘The inferior and posterior walls of the orbit are made up with small plates. Vor, I1.—3 18 CROTALUS ADAMANTEUS. The nostrils are large, lateral, and near the snout; the pit between the orbit and nostrils is remarkably large. ‘The eyes are large, the pupil elliptical, vertical and dark; the iris light gray, with a tinge of yellow. The mouth is large, the upper jaw furnished with poisonous fangs, and covered externally with twelve labial plates, all of which are quadrilateral, the largest in front. The neck is remarkably small and contracted; the body elongated, very thick, even to the tail; above it is covered with scales, approaching an hexagonal form, and strongly carinated on the vertebral line, less so near the abdomen, which is covered with very large plates. The tailis short and thick, with scales and plates below, and sustains a greater or less number of rattles. Cotour. The head is very dark brown above, with a light coloured line descending from near the snout to the angle of the mouth; above this is a broad black vitta, reaching from the orbit of the eye nearly to the neck; and above this again is a white line of the same extent and direction. The neck and body are a dusky-brown, sometimes tinged with a dusky-green—indeed the whole colour of this animal is singularly dingy—the body is marked with a series of regular rhombs, of the darkest brown, lighter towards the middle; each rhomb is bordered with a margin of dirty white; these gradually disappear towards the tail, and their place is supplied by dusky bars, which in the end also disappear, so that the tail is dusky near the rattles. Dimensions. Length of head, 27 inches; greatest breadth of head, 23 inches; circumference of the neck, 4 inches; length of body, 60 inches; length of tail, 24 mches; length of rattles, 3 inches. In the individual here described, there were 172 abdominal plates, and 25 sub-caudal. : Hasirs. The Crotalus adamanteus chooses for its abode damp and shady places, keeping constantly near the water, from which circumstance it is com- monly called the “Water-rattle,” though there is no evidence of its taking to the water in search of prey. CROTALUS ADAMANTEUS. 19 GeocrapnicaL Distrisution. Its range seems very limited; as hitherto it has never been found north of Carolina, where it is common on the sea-board; it abounds too in East Florida, but westward beyond that I have no evidence of its existence. Generat Remarks. The Crotalus adamanteus is the largest of our Rattle- snakes, reaching even to the length of eight feet. The individual from which the accompanying plate was taken, had reached the length of nearly six feet, and I have seen others over seven feet long; a more disgusting and terrific animal cannot be imagined than this; its dusky colour, bloated body, and sinister eyes of sparkling grey and yellow, with the projecting orbital plates, combine to form an expression of sullen ferocity unsurpassed in the brute creation. Palisot de Beauvais was the first who distinguished this serpent from the Crotalus durissus, and gave it the name, which has here been retainéd. Latreille next speaks of a skin of this animal, procured in Carolina, and given him by Bose. At first he seems to consider it a new species, under the name Crotalus rhombifer, but he ends by saying it is identical with the Crotalus horridus. To Daudin belongs the merit of having first fully and accurately described the animal now under consideration. Beauvais’s description, though separating this species from the Banded Rattlesnake, must amount to no more than “indications for the establishment of a new species.” Daudin’s account of the animal is very accurate, and was taken from the skin of one four feet six inches in length, found by Bose in the United States. It is not a little remarkable, that after so correct a description and such judicious remarks as those of Daudin, this animal should still have been over- looked, not only by European, but by American naturalists. This can only be accounted for by supposing they confounded it with the Crotalus horridus, to which 20 CROTALUS ADAMANTEUS. its colour, on a superficial examination, appears similar; but, observed attentively, there will be found enough, even in this, to distinguish the two animals. ‘The Crotalus horridus has a black band across the forehead, embracing the anterior part of the superior orbital plates; behind this, and reaching through the centre of these plates, is a white bar across the vertex. Another black band runs from the eye to the angle of the mouth; two large bands, of similar colour, begin behind the occiput, and run along the neck and back to the distance of about one-fifth of the whole animal; these latter bands are of the breadth of two scales and a half; two other narrower bands, and of the same length and colour, depart from the temples; while the Crotalus adamanteus is dusky-brown, without any black marks on the head, and has the rhomboidal spots, beginning at the back of the occiput, and continuing along the whole extent of the animal to near the extremity of the tail, which is banded. Besides the difference in colour between these two animals, there is a difference in the plates about the head. In the Crotalus horridus the nasal plates are very small; the frontals are triangular and also very small, while the vertex between the orbits is covered with plates or scales much larger than in the Crotalus adamanteus or Crotalus durissus. It is highly probable that the figure of the Crotalus durissus of Shaw represents our animal, but the description refers certainly to the Crotalus durissus, and it is mostly taken from Catesby. _ _] wees w= 3 7 - . 7 7 : a ’ - “ : ra Den eGR WILEY Te: te 7 7 , 7 _ - a ; eauinnsibiieeielihin stilt tedlinilinWarsinas xxins = om | firey pietnanbiaiae tl raion ence uctae ee (ers e ~ ath Seehine om ) | o i bie ote mht il he A LF pad a fey aly » ol «ab Sa oe a eth He yl baal awit ee we tne ii bei a — “> . —" ih 4 TY , J ' 7 pom R i y 1 Om htt & tyme = Petey . _ pel Vw — 7 _ ” . : ile.) ai! - . : +e) sp) « inte oe Ya = — 7 - 7 ES eer 06 ek We Beh pred i ee i deni 35) mi _ —_ > —_ ‘a - A . oe - a : ie : ¢ = 6 on La » dey a - imu 7 . autre 7 ie ae tm. a ete cabs th eins 1 ks patina : : - gn > ’ ry : : 7 ly « — » Ma a yn na m1 ae Gerd pel ws ote _ ; . a ; 5 : ; ’ rvs i i.) - eS . : aa : a _ » _— i} ss. id = Gare , a.) esr » Bo = q > A p’ 4 ere : P n 7 _ : oo wi ran ; - i - oa rs 6 7 4 as " ‘> 7s “it = So bie v i. he \ | a ge agg ¥ <9 I o - ~ ” : ices s ’ i _ . 4 a - 7 ite é - : bi 7 7 2 “— - a - a 7 inate 8 yee > - . 7 = . fle oni q ie a ‘ : mt 4 , - I 7 > | ., es We 7 : : : os : 7 cn ’ 4 7 i 1 a - 7 y . » ies 7 ; 7 7 aan ’ ' : > ive 7 : ee ’ : 7 - a 7 - 7 7 7 Ty 7 = = 7 7 - rn _ : 7 - - 7 7 : 4 i 7 7 = es gs - = - ; 7 -_ - > ; Dn ’ a es ,) LY ee = - _ ] Coluber testaceus LU. Bachar. ted PS Duval, the: Phibded™ 63 COLUBER TESTACEUS.—Say. Plate XIII. Cuaracters. “Body above, pale sanguineous or testaceous; beneath, sangui- neous, immaculate.” Pl. 198. Caud. Sc. 80. Syyonymes. Coluber testaceus, Say, in Long’s Exped. to Rock. Mount., vol. ii. p. 48. Coluber testaceus, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 113. Description. The head is sub-ovate, elongated, the snout prolonged slightly and rounded. The form of the head, as well as the plates that cover it, and the disposition of the eyes and nostrils, appear in the preserved specimen to be precisely similar to those of the Coluber constrictor. The body is long and slender, and is covered with large, smooth, hexagonal scales above, and with broad plates below. The tail is long and slender. Cotour. The whole superior surface of the animal is pale brick-dust colour, or “pale sanguineous;” the abdomen and inferior surfaces are brighter red, or * sanguineous.” Dimensions. Length of head, 1 inch 8 lines: total length, 5 feet 2 inches. Hanirs. Though a long snake, it moves with great rapidity in search of its prey, or to avoid its enemy. GeocrapnicaL Distrisution. ‘The Coluber testaceus has as yet been observed only near the Rocky Mountains. Ga COLUBER TESTACEUS. Genera Remarks. This reptile was first observed by Say, who gave of it a very imperfect description. I have seen but one specimen, which had been preserved for a long time, though yet in a perfect state, from which the accom- panying plate was taken. The colour may be relied on, according to Mr. Peale, the naturalist, who accompanied Say, and saw the animal alive. Coluber guttatns., 65 COLUBER GUTTATUS.—Linnzus. Plate XIV. Cuaracters. Head moderate, narrow, elongated; snout obtuse; colour above reddish-brown, marked with oblong transverse spots of brick-dust colour, with darker borders; abdomen white, marked with alternate quadrilateral black spots. Pl. 126. Sc. 64. Synonymes. Coluber guttatus, Linnwus, Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 385. Corn-snake, Catesby, Carolina, vol. ii. p. 55, pl. ly. Coluber guttatus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. Lin., tom. i. p. 1110. La mouchetée, Lacépede, Hist. Nat. des Serp., tom. ii. p. 2 p- La tachetée, Zacépede, Hist. Nat. des Serp., tom. ii. p. 329. 82. Coluber molussus, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. vi. p. 269. Coluber guttatus, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. vi. p. 261. Coluber maculatus, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des. Rept., tom. vil. p. 217. La couleuyre cannelée, Latreille, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. iv. p. 110. Coluber Carolinianus, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. iii. p. 460. Coluber pantherinus, Werrem, Beytriig. ii. s. 49, tab. xxi. Natrix pantherinus, Merrem, Versuch eines Syst. der Amphib., p. 102. Coluber guttatus, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 126. Coluber floridanus, Har/an, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 124. Coluber maculatus, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 125. Coluber molossus, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 126. Corn-snake, Vulgo. Description. The head is narrow and elongated, the snout obtuse. The vertical plate is pentagonal, with its largest border forwards, and an acute angle Vor. IN.—9 66 COLUBER GUTTATUS. behind. The superior orbital is elongated, quadrilateral, with its outer margin but slightly projecting. The occipital plates are irregularly triangular, with their apices rounded and their bases directed forwards, and joined to the vertical and superior orbital. The frontal plates are pentagonal, and broadest internally and narrow externally, where they join a small rhomboidal loral plate. ‘The anterior frontal are sub-round; the temporal are small and variable. ‘The rostral is pentagonal, large, projecting and obtuse. There is one large anterior orbital and two small posterior orbital plates. The upper jaw is covered with eight quadri- lateral plates, two of which (the fifth and sixth) form the lower margin of the orbit. The nostrils are lateral, large, near the snout, and open between two nasal plates, of which the anterior is quadrilateral, and the posterior pentagonal. ‘The eyes also are lateral and rather small; the pupil black, the iris reddish. The neck is cylindrical, contracted, smaller than the head. ‘The body is greatly elongated. The tail is small, and tapers to a point. Cotour. The head is of a brick-dust colour above, with two bands of a much darker shade bordered with brown; the larger of these lines forms a semicircle, the convexity of which is near the snout, and the two ends passing across the eyes terminate at the occiput. The other forms an oval on the top of the head, following the figure of the anterior; in the midst of this is an oval spot of the same colour as the circles. The whole superior surface of the body is light brown, in which appears a reddish tinge; along the back is a row of large sub-quadrate spots of a deep brick-dust colour, bordered with the darkest brown. ‘The sides are of a lighter shade than the back, with small spots; these also are lighter than the spots on the superior surface. The abdomen is silver-white, with black squares irregularly dispersed and of unequal size; two or three close together occur on one side, and then on the other. Below the vent is a longitudinal line on each side, formed by a black spot on each scale; these become irregular, and meet across as they arrive at the tip. Dimensions. Length of head, 1 inch 2 lines; breadth of head, 7 lines; length of COLUBER GUTTATUS. 67 body, 39 inches; length of tail, 7 inches; greatest circumference of body, 3 inches 11 lines: total length, 47 inches 9 lines. ‘They sometimes grow to a greater size than this—I have seen one nearly six feet in length. Harirs. The Coluber guttatus is very commonly observed about the road side early in the morning or at the dusk of evening: unlike most snakes, concealing itself during the day. It is very gentle and familiar, frequenting the neighbour- hood of settlements, and at times entering houses; and is, according to Catesby, “a great robber of hen-roosts.” Grocrapnicat Disrrinution. At present I can only give North Carolina as the northern boundary of the Coluber guttatus; beyond this its place is supplied by the Coluber eximius of Dekay, which it much resembles. GeneraL Remarks. The Coluber guttatus seems to have been a great stum- bling-block to herpetologists, as may be seen by the great number of its synonymes. It is clearly described in the twelfth edition of the Systema Nature, and no mention is made of it in any of the previous editions. Linneus described it from a specimen furnished him by Dr. Garden, and at the same time refers to Plate Ix. of Catesby, though with doubt. What he did doubtingly, others have done boldly. Plate Ix. of Catesby is the Bead-snake, and not the Coluber guttatus of Linnzus; but his Plate ly. is the Corn-snake, and agrees with the Coluber guttatus in every respect. We next find this animal described by Lacépéde, under the name la Mouchetée; his deseription is good, and there can be no doubt of his meaning, for he refers to the Coluber guttatus of Linnweus; but he again errs in supposing the Bead- snake of Catesby to be identical with it. Lacépede again describes the same animal under the name Coluber maculatus, (la Tachetée,) from a specimen procured in Louisiana; the description of the colours agree perfectly well with the Coluber guttatus, but its abdominal plates are less numerous. Lacépéde 68 COLUBER GUTTATUS. himself supposes he is describing the Corn-snake, as he refers to Plate ly. of Catesby, and says they are common in Carolina and Virginia. Latreille, at the end of his description of the Coluber molossus, gives an account of a serpent brought from Carolina by Bosc, which he thinks is closely allied to the Coluber guttatus; with which it is indeed identical, as may easily be seen by referring to his description; but to increase the stock of names, he calls it “la Couleuvre cannellée.” It is not a little singular that Bosc, who says he furnished this animal for Latreille, should have confounded it with the Hog Nose, to which it bears not the slightest resemblance. It can only be accounted for by supposing that some other serpent fell by accident into Latreille’s hands instead of the one intended; for there cannot be the least doubt that his description refers to the Coluber guttatus —a more correct one cannot be given; nor does it contain the slightest hint by which we can suppose that any Heterodon is meant. There can be no doubt that the Coluber molossus of Daudin is the Coluber guttatus of Linneus, from the number of its plates, disposition of its colours, We.; especially as he says Bose found it in Carolina, adding that it resembles the Boa constrictor. Merrem, generally very accurate, overlooked the Coluber guttatus of Linneus, and described the same animal as a new species, under the name Coluber pan- therinus. Of this, one may easily be satisfied by a reference to his description, which is full and minute, but especially by looking at the figure accompanying its which is excellent; the colour only is faulty, being evidently taken from an animal preserved in alcohol. ‘The Coluber Floridanus is only another name for the same animal, as Dr. Pickering pointed out to me, in the Museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences, the specimen which has added this synonyme, and though much bleached, it is clearly identical with the Coluber guttatus. bevy, \A aa ay 54 Coluber extmius PIs deciot ° 69 COLUBER EXIMIUS.—Dekay. Plate XV. Cuaracters. Head rather short; snout rounded; body above milk-coloured, with a triple series of dark spots; vertebral range largest, and transversely oval; lateral series smaller, sub-round, with a lighter spot in the centre; abdomen silver- white, each plate marked with one or more quadrilateral black spots, so arranged as to give a tessellated appearance. PI. 198. Sc. 47. SynonymMes. Coluber eximius, Dekay, manuscript. Coluber eximius, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 123. Coluber calligaster, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 122. House Snake or Milk Snake, Vudgo. Description. The head is rather short, with the snout rounded; the vertical plate is short, very large, nearly triangular, broad in front, and acute angled behind, with two facets for joining with the occipital plates, which makes it obscurely pentagonal; the superior orbital plate is large, regularly quadrilateral, broadest behind and slightly projecting; the occipital plates are large, very broad and pentagonal; there are two temporals, quadrilateral, of which the upper is sulle: frontal plates are hexagonal and large, with their internal margins broadest, and the external reaching between the anterior orbital and posterior nasal to a square loral plate; the anterior frontal are quadrilateral and broadest externally; the rostral plate is short, thick, and rounded in front and above, and concave below; there are two nasal plates, the anterior quadrilateral, incurvated behind; the posterior is elongated, sub-hexagonal, and joined behind to a small, quadrilateral, loral plate, situated in front of the anterial orbital, which is single 70 COLUBER EXIMIUS. and very large; there are two posterior orbital, of quadrilateral form and nearly of equal size; there are seven labial on each side, quadrilateral, and increasing in size from the rostral plate to the angle of the mouth; of these, the third and fourth make the inferior wall of the orbit of the eye. The nostrils are large, near the snout and lateral, but open a little upwards. The eyes are large, with the pupil dusky, and the iris pale grey. The neck is contracted. The body is elongated, but tolerably robust, and covered with smooth, rather small, hexagonal scales above, and with broad plates below. The tail is rather short, thick at its root, but soon becomes cylindrical and smaller, ending in a horny tip. Corour. The Coluber eximius resembles much the Coluber guttatus in the disposition of its colours, though it varies greatly from it in its tints; the ground colour of the whole superior surface of the animal is a shining milky-white, often with a reddish tinge; the anterior part of the head is marked with a few not very distinct dusky spots, and has a well marked transverse dusky band reaching from the anterior extremity of one superior orbital plate to the other, and occupying about half the posterior part of the frontal plates; another line, smaller, but of similar colour, descends backwards to the angle of the mouth; the crown of the head, as well as its occipital region and neck, is occupied by a large dusky blotch, with a small white spot near its anterior border, and a larger one, elongated, resembling somewhat the letter V in its centre; this dark blotch is so arranged as to leave before it a transverse white bar, which includes the two posterior thirds of the superior orbital plates, from the posterior part of which descends on each side over the temples a lateral line of similar colour to behind the angle of the mouth. 'The upper lip is milky-white, with the posterior part of each plate margined with dusky. The body above is milky-white, often tinged with red; along the vertebral line COLUBER EXIMIUS. “1 is a series of ovoid dusky blotches, sometimes with irregular margins, and always bordered with black, and most extensive in the transverse direction, in which it differs from the Coluber guttatus. These blotches are sometimes so extensive that they give the serpent an appearance of being banded with black and white; alternating with these dusky bars on the flanks is a second series of sub-round spots, smaller and blacker than those of the back. There 1s often a third series lower down and still smaller. The abdomen is silver-white, each plate being marked with one or two black spots; if there is a single spot on the plate, it is oblong, quadrilateral, large, and placed near the centre; when there are two spots, they are regularly quadrilateral, and are situated near the lateral extremities of the plate. ‘These spots give to the whole inferior surface of the animal a beautiful tessellated appearance of black and white; which well merits the name of calligaster, that Harlan says was given by Say to the western variety of this animal, Dimensions. Length of head, 11 lines; length of body, 30 inches; length of tail, 5; inches: total length, 36 inches 5 lines. In the specimen here described there were 198 abdominal plates, and 47 sub-caudal scales. This animal is said at times to exceed 4 feet in length. Hasrrs. The Coluber eximius is gentle in its habits, feeding on field-mice, various insects, &c. It approaches without fear the habitations of men, and is hence not uncommonly called the House Snake; it also frequents dairies and cellars where milk is kept; and this, from a mistaken notion of its robbing the dairy-women, has given rise to another name, “Milk Snake.” Guocrapnicat Distrisution. The range of the Coluber eximius seems to be confined to the northward of the 37th parallel of latitude; south of this, in the Atlantic states, I have never heard of its existence; its place is there supplied by another and closely allied species, the Coluber guttatus. North of this line it is however abundant; I have seen it in Maine and Rhode Island; Dr. Storer in 72 COLUBER EXIMIUS. ~ Massachusetts; Dr. Dekay in New York; Dr. Hallowell in Pennsylvania; Dr. Geddings in Maryland. West of the Alleghanies the Coluber eximius was observed by Dr. Pickering in Illinois, and by Say high up the Missouri; how far south it may run down the valley of the Mississippi, | have at this moment no means of determining; but it may be remarked that reptiles are there much less confined in their geographical range than they are in the Atlantic states. Generat Remarks. The Coluber eximius, though so common in the northern states, was only a short time since recognised and described as a distinct species by Dr. Dekay, an excellent herpetologist, and one who has done much in ophidiology. Say seemed to consider the serpent he observed in Missouri as new; but I am not aware that he described it as such. Dr. Harlan, however, gave a description of it from specimens in the Philadelphia Museum, and under the name calligaster, from the beautiful arrangement of colours on the belly. I have examined these specimens, and can pronounce them identical with the Coluber eximius, having a few plates more. The general resemblance between the Coluber eximius and the Coluber guttatus, is so great as to lead several excellent naturalists to consider them identical; -yet there are many differences, which, though small if taken alone, when combined are sufficient to establish these animals as separate and distinct species. To give a better notion of their differences, I have had the two animals drawn nearly in the same position. 1. The head of the Coluber eximius is shorter and more rounded in front. 2. The body is shorter in proportion, and the tail much more so, and is thicker, and the number of the abdominal plates and bifid sub-caudal plates do not agree. 3. The disposition as well as the tint of the colour is entirely different in life; but when the two animals have been kept in alcohol, then the colours become more alike. COLUBER EXIMIUS. 723 4. They differ in habits; the Coluber guttatus selects old fields and dry places, while the Coluber eximius prefers rocky or shady spots for his abode. 5. They differ also much in their geographical distribution; the one being peculiar to the south, the other as much so to the north. Vor. II.—10 We * : * : J 1 ‘ i . t b) 8 = - * iy * od ‘ n _ ‘ . ry a Ds cen a Pn Coluber Couper} "S Davat Litk Free JH Rirard, del +! io) | COLUBER COUPERI.—Holbrook. Plate XVI. Cuaracrers. Head rather small, but distinct from neck, elongated, sub-oval, flattened above and at the sides; snout obtuse, slightly projecting; body thick; tail Senter; colour above deep bluish-black, with a metallic lustre in the sun; throat bluish-white, with blotches of pale red. Synonyme. Indigo Snake, or Gopher Snake. Descrietion. The head is rather small for the size of the animal, though distinct from the neck; it is sub-oval, narrow, flattened above, and at the sides, with the snout elongated and rounded anteriorly. The vertical plate is short, broad, pentagonal, broadest before. The superior orbital are sub-trigonal and large, broadest externally. The frontal plates are broad and pentagonal. The anterior smaller and quadrilateral. The occipital are very large. There are two small pentagonal, posterior orbital plates, behind which are three temporal plates, the posterior largest. The anterior orbital is single, large, and incurvated posteriorly for the orbit. The loral plate is single. There are two large nasal plates, the anterior smaller, quadrilateral, and the posterior pentagonal. ‘The rostral plate is large, sub-triangular, round in front, but not much projecting. ‘There are seven large superior labial plates, of which the sixth and seventh are largest, and the third and fourth are pentagonal, and form the lower wall of the orbit. 5 The nostrils are large, lateral near the snout, and open upwards, outwards, and V. 3—10* 76 COLUBER COUPERI. a little backwards. The eyes are large, with both pupil and iris black. The neck is contracted, but less so than in the Black Snake. The body is elongated, but stout, and covered above with very large, smooth, hexagonal scales, and with broad plates below. ‘The tail is of moderate length, and slender. Cotour. The head above is blue, or bluish-black; the throat is of a bluish- white colour, with blotches of reddish flesh-colour. The superior surface of the animal is of a deep, bright bluish-black, of a beautiful metallic lustre in the sun; the anterior part of the abdomen of a light bluish slate-colour; the posterior part is of a darkek shade, but of the same colour. hat ce a OW YA * Dimensions. Length of head, 2 inches, width, 18 lines; length of body, 75 inches, circumference, 7 inches; length of tail, 12 inches. In this specimen there were 186 abdominal plates, with a single one before the vent; and 62 bifid caudal plates. This snake frequently exceeds eight feet in length arf individuals have been seen ten feet long. Hasits. J. Hamilton Couper, Esq. of St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, to whom J am indebted for a knowledge of this animal, says, “The Indigo Snake, or Gopher, combines strength and activity. Its movements are confined to the surface of the ground, in which they are free, and, for so large a snake, rapid. It is perfectly harmless, frequenting the neighbourhood of settlements, where it is usually unmolested, from its inoffensive character, and the prevalent belief that it destroys the Rattlesnake, which it attacks with courage. It is often found occupying the same hole with the Gopher (Testudo polyphemus), whence it receives one of its names. Although a harmless snake, it is a bold one, and when provoked, it faces its enemy with courage, vibrating its tail rapidly. It is, however, so mild in character that it may be domesticated; and an instance is mentioned of the negro children of a neighbouring plantation being in the habit of holding on to the tail of one whilst it wandered about the yard.” GrocrarnicaL Disrrisution. “I have only seen it in the dry pine hills, south COLUBER COUPERI. ~* of the Alatamaha; and I have never met with it in the low grounds even of the same vicinity.” Genera Remarks. Although in several respects resembling the Black Snake, it differs from it so very materially, that the two snakes cannot be confounded even by the most carcless observer. Indeed, I only place this serpent provision- ally among the Colubers, as I have not as yet had an opportunity of examining the anatomy of the animal. Coluber vernalts hard. de PS Danad. (ith Phil * iter ‘ 79 COLUBER VERNALIS.—Dekay. Plate XVII. Craractrers. Head elongated, sub-oyal, distinct; snout rounded; body long, cylindrical, covered above with smooth, oblong, rhomboidal scales; grass-green above, yellowish-white below. Pl. 128. Sc. 89. SynonymeEs. Coluber vernalis, Dekay, MS. Coluber vernalis, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 124. Description. The head is elongated, sub-oval, with the snout somewhat rounded. The vertical plate is hexagonal, large, and broadest in front, with an acute angle behind; the superior orbital is elongated, quadrilateral, narrow before, broader behind, and slightly projecting over the eye. ‘The occipital plates are very large, pentagonal, and broadest before; the frontal are large, pentagonal, broad internally, narrow externally, where they unite with a single quadrilateral loral plate. The anterior frontal are smaller and quadrilateral; the rostral plate is short, broad, pentagonal, rounded above and in front, and slightly concave below. The nasal plate is single, elongated and quadrilateral; there are two small, quadrilateral anterior orbital; the posterior orbital are two in number, small and quadrilateral; the inferior wall of the orbit is completed by the third and fourth superior labial, of which plates there are seven on each side, quadrilateral, and increasing in size from the chin towards the angle of the mouth. The nostrils are large, lateral near the snout, and open outwards, a little upwards and backwards, in the midst of a single large nasal plate. ‘The eyes are large and bright; the pupil black, the iris golden. The neck is contracted. 80 COLUBER VERNALIS. The body is cylindrical, and covered above with small elongated, rhomboidal, smooth scales, and with plates below. The tail is long, thick at its root, but soon becomes slender. Cotour. The head above is beautiful grass-green; the jaws are yellowish- white, tinged with green. ‘The body and tail above are coloured like the head; the belly is yellowish-white. Dimensions. Length of head, 7 lines; length of body to vent, 12 inches; length of tail beyond the vent, 7 inches: total length, 19 inches 7 lines. ‘They sometimes reach a greater size. In the specimen here described, there were 128 abdominal plates, and 89 sub-caudal bifid plates. Hasirs. This is a very gentle animal, and can be handled with impunity; it seeks meadows of high grass, where crickets and grasshoppers abound, on which it feeds, and is mostly found on the ground, though I have at times seen it stretched on the branches of low shrubs, as the dwarf willow, &c. GrocraruicaL Distrisution. The Coluber vernalis seems peculiarly a northern animal; it is first seen in Maine; it is abundant in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania; but I have never yet heard of its existence as far south as Virginia. GeneraL Remarks. This serpent, from its similarity of colour, seems to have been confounded with the Leptophis estivus by herpetologists, until Dr. Dekay observed that its scales were smooth,—that it was a smaller animal;—that the proportion of its different parts were not the same, and that it was entirely a northern reptile; and applied to it the specific name of vernalis. 7 a t — 7 4 ~ ’ ¢ : , a 2 t - _ A a —_" £ { - 7 od * a t : : , 7 ’ ; ee, fn 7 ‘ 2 ‘ a 7 / ‘ - 7 ‘a 7 oe Coluber punctatus PS Duval Lith Phel@ ee SA Riuhara 81 COLUBER PUNCTATUS.—Linneus. Plate XVIII. Ciaracters. [Head large, flattened; body above bluish-black; abdomen orange colour, with three longitudinal rows of spots; beneath the tail yellow, immaculate. Pl, 132. Se. 49. Syyonymes. Coluber punctatus, Linnzus, Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 376. Little Black and Red Snake, Edwards, Glean. Nat. Hist., vol. iii. p. 289. Another small snake, Edwards, Glean. Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 291. La Ponctuée, Lacépede, Hist. Nat. des Serp., tom. ii. p. 287. Coluber punctatus, Zatreille, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. iv. part ii. p. 136. Coluber punctatus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. Lin., vol. i. pars iii. p. 1089. Coluber punctatus, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. vii. p. 178. Coluber torquatus, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. iii. p. 553. Natrix punctatus, Merrem, Versuch eines Syst. der Amphib., p. 131, spec. 162. Natrix Edwardsii, Merrem, Versuch eines Syst. der Amphib., p. 136, spec. 195. Homolosoma punctata, Wagler, Natiirlich. Syst. der Amphib., p. 191. Spilotes punctatus, Swainson, Lard. Cyclop. Rept., p. 364. Coluber punctatus, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 117. Calamaria punctata, Schlegel, Phys. des Serp., tom. ii. p. 39. Description. The head is rather small, flattened, and rounded at the snout. The vertical plate is sub-triangular, with its basis forward and joined to the frontal; the superior orbital are quadrilateral and elongated, with their outer margins projecting but slightly. The occipital are irregularly triangular, broadest in front, and joined to the vertical, the superior orbital and superior posterior Vor. 111 82 COLUBER PUNCTATUS. orbital plates. The frontal plates are irregularly pentagonal, broadest within and smallest without, where they join a large and regularly quadrilateral loral plate. The anterior frontal plates are two in number, and are smaller and quadrilateral in form. The rostral is triangular, with its basis below and its apex above, and rounded. There are two nasal plates; the anterior is quadrilateral, with its posterior margin incurvated, and the posterior pentagonal hollowed before for the nostril. The upper jaw is covered with eight large square plates, increasing in size to the angle of the mouth; two of these (the fourth and fifth) ascend to form the inferior wall of the orbit. There are two posterior orbital plates, the superior of which is the longer, and only one anterior orbital. The nostrils are lateral and near the snout. The eyes are large, the pupil dark, the iris grey. The neck is contracted, and smaller than the head. The body is elongated, sub-cylindrical, rounded above, and covered with smooth scales; the abdomen is flattened, and covered with plates. ‘The tail is delicate and pointed. Cotour. The head is of a greyish-black colour, with a transverse blotch of yellowish-white on each side of the occiput, uniting to form a ring; the lips are white. ‘The upper surface of the body is the same colour as the head; but this varies a good deal—sometimes almost black, at others approaching a chestnut- brown, finely dotted with grey. The abdomen is reddish-yellow, with three parallel rows of dark spots of sub-triangular form, with their apices turned forward, one row of which runs in the mesial line. The tail is of similar colour with the body, both above and below, but wants the sub-triangular spots. Divenstons. Length of head, 5 lines; length of body, 63 inches; length of tail, 2 inches; circumference of body, 9 lines. In the individual here described there were 132 abdominal plates, and 49 sub-caudal scales. IT have seen one 14 inches long. Hasirs. The Coluber punctatus is a very timid animal, living great part of the time concealed under the bark of trees, or old logs and stones. It emerges from COLUBER PUNCTATUS. 83 its hiding-place towards the dusk of evening, or after rain, when the insects on which it feeds have been washed from their hiding-places. 4 GeocrarmcaL Distrisution. The Coluber punctatus inhabits the Atlantic states from Maine to Florida inclusive. Generat Remarks. ‘The first notice of this animal is to be found in the Gleanings of Natural History, by George Edwards,* where may be seen an excellent plate of it. He says it was sent to him by his friend Bartram, from Pennsylvania; that “its upper side, except a white ring round the neck, is of shining jet black; the belly, or under part, is of a fine light red, and the eyes flame-colour.” A second specimen was also sent him, the “upper side of which was chestnut-colour, and the under side deep yellow.” Linneus next gave the characters very distinctly of this animal, from a specimen furnished him by Dr. Garden. Other naturalists only copied him, till Bose observed it in Carolina, and communicated a very full description of it to Latreille, which was afterwards copied by Daudin. Merrem, from the plate to which he refers in Edwards, being without the three longitudinal rows of dark spots that Linnwus gives as one of the distinctive marks of his animal, as well as from its having a collar or ring, not mentioned in Linnzus, thought it a new species, and called it after Edwards. Yet there is no doubt that the Natrix punctatus and the Natrix Edwardsii of Merrem are one and the same animal. Indeed, I have more than once seen individuals of this species without the rings at the neck, and as frequently without the spots; and Say has seen the central row double. This serpent has been arranged in very different genera by different naturalists. Some have placed it in Calamaria; others in Coronella; others in Homolosoma; * Gleanings of Natural History, vol. iii. p. 289. + Ibid., p. 290. 84 COLUBER PUNCTATUS. others in Spilotes. For the present I shall leave it in that of Coluber, where it was first placed by Linneeus, from the type of which it differs only in having the head a little shorter, though the plates are the same in number, and nearly in form, the neck a little less contracted, the tail shorter, &c., all of which might be useful in settling a species, but cannot determine a genus. Coluber Alleghamensis . I ae LS Duval, Lith (pet? On Store bv 8 Crchowskt Dive 85 {f.—Colubers with Carinated Neales. COLUBER ALLEGHANITENSIS.—Holbrook. Plate XTX. Cuaracters. Above, shiming black; beneath, white on the throat, becoming clouded with brown on the anterior part of the abdomen, and entirely slate-colour towards and beneath the tail. Head elongated, rather large, distinct from the neck; body very long; scales on the back carinated, on the flanks smooth; tail rather short. Pl. 235-40. Sc. 78-84. Description. The head of this serpent is elongated and large; and the mouth is also large. The vertical plate is pentagonal, short and broad; the superior orbital plates are large; the frontal large, irregularly pentagonal, broadest inter- nally, and extending externally between the anterior orbital and posterior nasal to the loral plate, which is of trapezoid form, and small. The anterior frontal are small and rhomboidal in shape; the nasal are also large and somewhat trapezoidal, the one lunate before and the other behind for the nostrils; the rostral above is triangular, rounded in front and broad; the temporal are variable, sometimes consisting of two or three narrow plates, or their place is chiefly occupied by the last labial plates, very much enlarged; the posterior orbitai are two in number; the anterior orbital is single and very large. The nostrils are lateral, a littke removed from the snout, and open outwards and backwards. ‘The eyes are rather large, the pupil black, the iris brown. 86 COLUBER ALLEGHANIENSIS. The neck is small; the body much elongated, sub-caudal, and tapering at each extremity. The scales are oblong-oval and bipunctate at the apex; those on the back have a distinct carina; the four or five inferior rows on each side are smooth; on the tail they are broader and hexagonal in form. The tail is rather short and tapering. Cotour. The head is black above; the marginal plates of both upper and under Jip are silver-white, edged with black; the throat also is silver-white. The body above is intense black, glistening or polished; but in a certain light a mixture of brown can be perceived on close inspection, without however any definable pattern; many of the scales have marginal dashes of white, which become visible when the skin is extended; towards the tail, however, the scales are entirely black. Beneath, the anterior part of the abdomen is white, clouded with brown, and the posterior part and tail entirely slate-colour. Dimensions. Length of the head, to the commencement of the small scales, 15 lines; body, 4 feet 5 inches; tail, 9 inches: total length, 5 feet 3 mches. Circum- ference of the body in the thickest part, 4 inches. ‘The specimen figured had 235 abdominal plates and 78 pairs of sub-caudal scales; a second, 240 plates and 84 scales. GeocrarnicaL Disrrisution. This serpent was first observed on the summit of the Blue Ridge, in Virginia, by Mr. George Robbins, of Philadelphia. Dr. Wilckens, of New York, has also favoured me with a specimen from the High- lands of the Hudson; and I have received many from the mountains of Carolina, so that it is probable its range extends throughout the Alleghanies. Hasirs. The animal in confinement seemed of an exceedingly mild and gentle disposition; forming in this respect quite a contrast with its fellow prisoners, two individuals of the common Black Snake (Coluber constrictor), who maintained at all times their original wildness. It lived several months, and is now deposited in the Museum of the Academy of Natural-Sciences at Philadelphia. COLUBER ALLEGHANIENSIS. S7 GeneraL Remarks. The Coluber Alleghaniensis is readily distinguished from the Black Snake by its carimated scales; still the two species bear a general resemblance, and might readily be confounded without proper examination. Coluber k-vittatus On Sloe bu 3 CAN SRE PS Daval, bitte hih* COLUBER QUADRIVITTATUS.—Holbrook.. Plate XX. Cuaracters. Body very long, above greenish clay-colour, with four longitu- dinal brown bands; beneath yellowish; head distinct; scales on the back carinated, on the flanks smooth; tail one-fifth of total length. Pl. 233. Sc. 90. SynonymeE. Chicken Snake, Bartram, Travels in Florida, &c., p. 275. Description. The head is elongated and oval, with the vertical plate penta- gonal, short and broad; the superior orbital plates are large; the frontal large, irregularly pentagonal, broadest internally, and extending externally between the anterior orbital and posterior nasal to the loral plate, which is of trapezoid form, and small. The anterior frontal are small and rhomboidal in shape; the two nasal are also large and somewhat trapezoidal, the one lunate before and the other behind for the nostrils; the rostral above is triangular, rounded in front and broad; the posterior orbital are two in number; the anterior orbital is single, very large and sub-quadrilateral; the inferior wall of the orbit is completed by the fourth and fifth superior labial plates, of which there are eight. The nostrils are large, lateral near the snout, and open a little backwards. The eyes are large, the pupil dusky, and the iris greyish-yellow. The neck is contracted and covered with smaller scales. The body is elongated, fusiform, and covered above with hexagonal scales; the superior rows carinated, the inferior smooth. ‘The tail 1s moderately long and round, Voz. IJI.—12 90 COLUBER QUADRIVITTATUS. Corovur. In its colours, however, this snake differs widely from the Coluber Alleghaniensis, and the pattern is invariable so far as my observation extends. The whole superior surface in the young animal is of a greenish clay-colour, marked with four longitudinal dark brown stripes, the two superior ones reaching from the occiput to the extremity of the tail. In old individuals, the general colour is brown, and the dark longitudinal bands are less obvious. The inferior surface is yellowish throughout, sometimes a little clouded towards the sides. The scales of the back and sides are frequently sprinkled with minute blackish dots, and many have marginal dashes of white, which become visible when the skin is extended, and give the animal a reticulated appearance. ‘The skin between the scales is blackish. Dimensions. Length of head, 14 lines; length of body, 3 feet 6 inches; of tail, 10 inches: total length, 4 feet 5 inches. In the above specimen there were 233 abdominal plates, and 90 sub-caudal scutella. It grows, however, to the length of six or seven feet. GeocrapnicaL Distrisution. It is found from North Carolina to Florida, and westward as far as the Mississippi; being entirely unknown in the northern and middle states. Hairs. This animal is by no means rare in South Carolina; frequenting the vicinity of houses, and sometimes making its way into the cabins of the negroes. It is, however, perfectly innoxious, though in bad repute with respect to young chickens. Bartram suggests that it might be rendered useful in destroying rats, as it is easily tamed and soon becomes familiar. Generar Remarks. This animal, though described by Bartram so long ago as 1791, has not since been noticed by any systematic writer. It is closely allied to the last animal in its general form, but its colour and markings, as well as its geographical distribution, are entirely different. COLUBER QUADRIVITTATUS. 91 Schlegel thinks this snake may prove identical with the Coluber Alleghaniensis, to which, indeed, it bears considerable resemblance in form; but its colours are entirely different and are constant; its habits and geographical distribution are not the same: the Coluber Alleghaniensis lives constantly on the ground, but the Coluber quadrivittatus I have often met with on trees; the one belongs to the mountains, the other lives on the plains. 93 CORONELLA .—Lawrentius. Genus Coroneitta.—Cuaracrers. Head moderate, much less distinct from the neck than in Coluber, but covered with the same number of plates; snout short, rounded; rostral plate very concave below; loral plate single; superior orbital plate not projecting over the eye; nostrils lateral; teeth small, numerous, curved; posterior ones rather larger; body sub-cylindrical, larger in the middle; scales smooth; tail short. Remarks. This genus, as established by Laurentius, embraced a great many serpents, widely different in their characters. Boié limited it to such as resem- ble in their forms the Coronella levis, the type of Laurentius’ genus. I would still further restrict it to such serpents as differ from the true Colubers in having the head shorter, and but slightly larger than the neck; where the plates of the head and face, though precisely the same in number, differ much in proportional development of certain parts. Thus they are all generally shorter, and the superior orbital projects so slightly over the eye, that it can be but partially seen from above, which approximates his to the next genus, Helicops, where the same eyes are superior. The loral plate is single, as well as the anterior orbital. The body is elongated, sub-cylindrical, larger in the middle, tolerably robust, and always covered with smooth scales; the tail is rather short, never more than one-third the length of the body. The animals of this genus seldom equal the Colubers in size, though some of them are of considerable dimensions. ‘They are also much less lively and active, and are never seen on trees. BA Bad) fi en se AD — - Wee wha btnas “i yy — 7 ’ es id i 7 7! eT e eeeee Covonella ~ selula PS Duval Litt Zl CORONELLA GETULA.—Linneus. Plate XX. Cuaracters. Head small; snout rather truncated; colour above beautiful shining raven-black, with about twenty-two white, narrow, transverse bars, bifur- cating on the flanks to form a nearly continuous waving white line; tail barred, but without lateral lines; abdomen raven-black, with a shadowy tinge of white in certain lights. Pl. 215. Sc. 49. Synonymes. Chain Snake, Catesby, Carolina, &c., vol. ii. p. 52, pl. li. Coluber getulus, Linnwus, Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 382. La chaine, Lacépede, Hist. des Serp., tom. i. p. 300. Coluber getulus, Gme/in, Syst. Nat. Lin., tom. i. part iii. p. 1106. Coluber getulus, Latreille, Hist. Nat. Rept., tom. iv. p. 174. Coluber getulus, Dauwdin, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. vi. p. 314, pl. Ixxvii. Coluber getulus, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. il. part 11. p. 467. Natrix getulus, Merrem, Versuch eines Syst. der Amphib., p. 196. Pseudo-elaps getulus, Fitzinger, Neue Class der Rept., p. 56. Coluber getulus, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 122. Chain Snake, Thunder Snake, King Snake, Vudgo. Description. The head is small, short, and rather rounded at the snout; the vertebral plate is regularly pentagonal, broad in front and pointed behind; the superior orbital is oblong-quadrilateral, narrow before, broader behind, and but slightly projecting externally over the eye. ‘The occipital plates are large and pentagonal; the frontal are irregularly hexagonal, with their narrowest border downward and outwards; the anterior frontal are regularly quadrilateral, a little broader without and narrower within. The rostral plate is broad, short, trun- 96 CORONELLA GETULA. cated in front, and of pentagonal form, rounded above and slightly concave below; there are two quadrilateral nasal plates, nearly of the same size, the one slightly hollowed before, the other behind, to accommodate the nostril; the anterior orbital is single, large, and of pentagonal form, with a small square loral plate between it and the posterior nasal; there are two posterior orbital, very small and quadri- lateral, behind which are two oblong, square temporal plates. The labial plates are seven in number on each side, all quadrilateral to the fifth, which is pentagonal, and of these the third and fourth make up the inferior wall of the orbit of the eye. The nostrils are near the snout, very large, and open laterally. The eyes are rather small, with the pupil black, and the iris dusky. The neck is scarcely contracted, and is covered above with small smooth scales. The body is elongated, robust, and covered with large, smooth, hexagonal scales above, and large plates below. The tail is short, thick at the root, but soon becomes smal], and ends in a horny point. Cotour. The Coluber getulus is one of the most beautiful of our Snakes, and its colours are of most singular pattern. The ground of the whole superior surface of the animal, the head as well as the body and tail, is of the richest shining raven-black; the rostral plate is white in the centre, and every other plate about the head is marked with one or more white or milky-white spots; that of the vertical plate often resembles a transverse white line along its anterior part, while the labial have each similarly disposed spots, but of triangular form and variable magnitude, sometimes equal to half the size of the plate; the chin and throat are white, and have most of the plates margined with black. The body is marked by about twenty-two nearly equidistant transverse white bars or rings. ‘These rings are narrow, embracing two or parts of three scales; nor do they surround the body, but bifurcate at the flanks, so that one portion runs to join the ring placed in front, and the other to join the ring behind, and thus produce nearly a continuous waving white line on the flanks, beginning at the CORONELLA GETULA. 97 ‘ neck and terminating at the vent, and nearly at right angles with the transverse bars. Alternating with the dorsal bars, the waving line is increased in size below, to form an irregular white blotch, reaching to the abdomen, which in other respects is coloured nearly like the back, but is more shining, and with a strong tinge of violet. The tail has but four or five transverse rings or white bars, and wants entirely the waving lateral line. Divensions. Leneth of head, 1 inch 2 lines; leneth of body, 36 inches; length 5S +} > me fur} > of tail, 5 inches. In the specimen here described there were 215 abdominal plates and 39 sub-caudal bifid plates. It must be remarked, however, that the animal at times exceeds the dimensions above given. Dr. Binney saw one in Georgia over four feet; and I have recently received one from North Carolina =) J 4 feet 2 inches in length. Hasirs. The Coronella getula is found abundantly in moist and shady places, though it never takes to water or to trees. It feeds on moles, small birds, or such reptiles as lizards, salamanders, toads, We. that may fall in its way. It is commonly believed that this serpent is the great enemy of the Rattlesnake, though I believe there is no great evidence of the fact. My friend Dr. Binney, however, informed me that he once captured a fine specimen in Georgia, which he placed in a tin box with a full grown Crotalophorus miliarius; the next day, on examining the box, it was discovered that the King Snake had devoured its fellow prisoner. It would have done the same to any other snake of similar size, under similar circumstances, and with the same appetite. GrocrapmcaL Disrrinution. This serpent is common enough in the Carolinas, where indeed it was first observed; thence its range extends as far north as New York, and as far south as Florida, inclusive; how much further west it may exist, I have no means at present of determining. Daudin says he is certain that it inhabits Louisiana. ‘The observations, however, of foreign naturalists, on the localities of our reptiles, must be received Vor. HI.—13 98 CORONELLA GETULA. with great caution, for they are led to suppose the animals inhabit the neigh- bourhood of the ports from whence they are shipped; thus we have it said that the “Anolius,” the “Green Turtle,” the “Iguana,” Wc., are natives of the more northern states; some of which are not even found on the continent of North America. Generat Remarks. The history of this serpent is plain enough; it was first described by Catesby under the name Chain Snake, and accompanied with a drawing, not very good to be sure, but sufficiently accurate to make it certain that it refers to the animal now under consideration. It next appears in the twelfth edition of the Systema Nature as the Coluber getulus, with a single reference to Catesby, and this specific name it has ever since borne, although different naturalists have arranged it in very different genera. - : “ , : ‘ ‘ cy a . , : ’ . 3 ay e ¥ ’ 4 i ‘ ‘ f ‘ n » ss : 7 - . . eg Re. « . : * ‘ } - 2 - 4 - + ’ : 7 as a ‘s , t . . Coronella Say. SH. Bichard, het. LS. Dever to te 99 CORONELLA SAYI.—Schlegel. Plate XXII. Cuaractrers. Head small, oval, rather rounded at the snout; body elongated, robust; above bluish-black, tinged with violet; each plate and scale marked with a milk-white spot. Pl. 205. Sc. 53. Synonymes. Coluber Sayi, De Kay, manuscript. Coluber Sayi, Schlegel. Phys. des Serp., tom. ii. p. 157. Description. The head is small, oval, short, with the snout rather rounded. The vertical plate is triangular, with the basis broad and directed forwards, and the apex pointed and turned backwards; the superior orbital are oblong, pen- tagonal, broader behind, of the same length as the vertical, and slightly project over the eyes. The frontal plates are large, pentagonal and broadest internally; the anterior frontal are also large, but smaller than the posterior, quadrilateral, with their posterior and inferior angles prolonged. The rostral plate is hexagonal, rounded above, concave and slightly projecting below; the nasal plates are two on each side, nearly quadrilateral; the anterior hollowed behind and the posterior concave before to complete the nostrils; the loral plate is single and rhomboidal in form. There is a single anterior orbital plate, quadrilateral and elongated, most extensive vertically, and two very small posterior quadrilateral orbital; the occipital plates are large, broad, elongated and pentagonal. ‘The upper jaw is covered with seven large, quadrilateral labial plates on each side, of which the fifth and sixth are largest, and the third and fourth make the inferior wall of the orbit of the eye. 100 CORONELLA SAYI. The nostrils are lateral and near the snout. The eyes are prominent, the pupil dark, the iris grey. The neck is but slightly contracted. The body is cylindrical, and covered with smooth sub-hexagonal scales above, as well as on the neck, where they are much smaller. The tail is short, thick at its root, but soon becomes smaller, and terminates in a horny point; the scales of the tail are large, but shorter in proportion than those of the back. Cotour. The head is bluish-black above; each plate with one or more yellowish-white oblong spots; the superior labial plates are yellowish or milky- white, each with a black border at either end, where two adjoining plates meet, which gives a banded appearance to the upper jaw. Every scale of the neck, body and tail is marked with a milky-white oblong spot, most commonly in the centre, but sometimes near the border, so that those of neighbouring scales come nearly in contact, or three or four appear in clusters together; these spots are largest low down on the flanks. The plates of the throat and abdomen are milk- white, each with a black spot, either a square or parallelogram; sometimes these spots are placed in the centre of the plate, and at others near their lateral extremities. In the posterior half of the body the black prevails; the last plate is however entirely white. Dimensions. Length of head, 1 inch 3 lines; greatest breadth, 1 inch; length of body, 40 inches; length of tail beyond vent, 6 inches 2 lines: total length, 3 feet 11 inches 5 lines. In the specimen here described there are 205 abdominal plates, and 53. sub- caudal scales, with a small horn at the tip of the tail. Hasirs. I am ignorant of the habits of this serpent, never having seen but one specimen alive. Gerocrapuicat Disrrisution. The Coronella Sayi seems to be widely extended CORONELLA SAYI. 101 in the valley of the Mississippi; for I have received it from Louisiana, high up Red river, from Missouri, from Arkansas, and also many specimens from Alabama; which, for the present, I must put down as its northern limit. Generar Remarks. Dr. De Kay was the first herpetologist who noticed it as a distinct species, and communicated his observations to Say and other naturalists, who regarded it only as a variety of the Coronella getula, to which it certainly bears a striking general resemblance; yet on minute examination there will be found sufficient difference to constitute them distinct species, The head of this animal is rather smaller, with the snout more prolonged than in the Coronella getula; the colours are differently disposed; the body is shorter and the tail longer in proportion; and their geographical distribution is widely different; the Coronella getula being found seven or eight hundred miles farther north in the Atlantic states than the Coronella getula; whereas, if they were but varieties, we might expect to find both animals in the same localities. Schlegel was the first naturalist who published a description of this beautiful animal, in his excellent work entitled “Essai sur la Physionomie des Serpens.” Coronella rhombo-maculata. SH Richard deé PS Duval, Lith PR 23 103 CORONELLA RHOMBO-MACULATA.—Allbrook. Plate XXII. Cuaracters. Head short, small; body elongated, covered with smooth scales above and plates below; superior surface chestnut-brown, with a vertebral series of rhomboid light brown spots; abdomen salmon-coloured. Pl. 211. Sc. 45. Description. The head is small, short, with the snout truncated. The vertical plate is broad and regularly pentagonal, acute-angled posteriorly; the superior orbitals are elongated, quadrilateral, broader behind, narrower before, and of the same length as the vertical, and project but slightly over the eye. The occipital are large, pentagonal, and receive the acute angle of the vertical plate; the frontal are large, pentagonal, broad above and narrow below; the anterior frontal are smaller, quadrilateral, and larger below than above. The rostral plate is penta- gonal, blunt before, broadest and slightly concave below; there are two nasal plates, quadrilateral, nearly of the same form and size; one is lunated before and the other behind. ‘The anterior orbital plate is single, quadrilateral, slightly lunated behind, and large, with a square loral plate in front; there are two pentagonal posterior orbital, the upper rather larger; the inferior wall of the orbit is completed by the third and fourth labial plates, of which there are six, increasing in size from the snout to the angle of the mouth; the first is trapezoidal, the second quadrilateral, and the rest are all pentagonal. The nostrils are lateral near the snout, and open a little upwards and back- wards. The eyes are rather small, the pupil dusky, with the iris hazel. The neck is slightly contracted. 104 CORONELLA RHOMBO-MACULATA. The body is elongated, cylindrical, covered above with smooth hexagonal scales, largest on the flanks, and with broad plates below. The tail is short, thick at the base, but soon becomes small, and terminates in a horny point. Cotour. The head above is of a uniform chestnut-brown; the lips are lighter, with a dark line at the place of junction of the several plates. The body and tail are chestnut-brown, with vertebral rhomboid spots of light reddish-brown; these spots near the tail have a narrow dusky margin; the throat, as well as the belly and tail, are salmon-coloured, more or less bright. Dimensions. Length of head, 10 lines; length of body to vent, 24 inches; length of tail beyond the vent, 4 inches: total length, 28 inches 10 lines. The specimen here described had 211 abdominal plates and 45 sub-caudal scales, with a horny tip at the tail, Hairs. Tam unacquainted with the habits of this animal, never having seen but two specimens, GrocrarnicaL Disrrisution. As yet I can give only Georgia and Alabama as the residence of this animal. Generar Remarks. To my friend Professor Horner, of the University of Pennsylvania, I am indebted for the first specimen of this serpent that I ever saw, which he received from Georgia. i 2 GO? brooke amPEwR aXe o ui € " - r fqeeparel fies Pie wyetiy (move Mtoi : Bites - he * r ane at =a = ‘ie : ics % and, besides this, his figure of it corres- yellowish-white between black bands;’ ponds to the one here given, in shape, size, and disposition of the colours. But there is still some confusion, for prior to this he had sent “the animal, accom- panied by a description and drawing,” to Latreille, who published them both in his Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles; in which he says of it, “the snout is obtuse and somewhat of the horse-shoe shape; under part of the body uniform white.” Yet in Bose’s description, quoted above, the rings are represented encircling the body, as in the Elaps fulvius, with which the animal seems to have been confounded, but from which it is entirely distinct in the arrangement of its teeth; there being in the Calamaria elapsoidea, palatine and maxillary teeth, but no fangs. The disposition of the colour, too, is different, as may be seen on a careful examination; for in the Elaps fulvius we have certainly a crimson groundwork and black rings, but each black ring is bordered with a smaller yellow one, both anteriorly and posteriorly. Should, however, this animal be the Couleuvre écarlate (Coluber coccineus) of Bosc, still his specific name cannot be retained as it has been previously applied by Blumenbach to another serpent. * Nouy. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. vi. p. 395. Vor. [11.—16 ve Calamari striatula. NS Davi Vath + 123 CALAMARIA STRIATULA.—LEinneus. Plate XXIX. Craracters. Head small, not distinct from the neck; snout rather pointed; body short, robust; tail very short, above reddish-grey, beneath pale salmon- colour. Pl. 130. Sc. 20. Synonymes. Coluber striatulus, Zinnwus, Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 375. Coluber striatulus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. Lin., tom. i. pars ill. p. 1087. Coluber striatulus, Dawdin, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. vil. p. 200. Coluber striatulus, Zatretlle, Hist. Nat. Rept., tom. iv. p. 84. Natrix striatulus, Merrem, Versuch eines Syst. der Amphib., p. 118. Coluber striatula, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 117. Calamaria striatula, Schlege/, Phys. des Serp., tom. ii. p. 43. Brown Snake, Vulgo. Description. The head is very small, rather pointed at the snout, and not at all distinct from the neck The vertical plate is sub-hexagonal and pointed behind; the superior orbital are narrow, rather long, and do not project over the eyes, which are consequently directed slightly upwards. ‘The occipital plates are broad, elongated, and pentagonal. The frontal are elongated, pentagonal, broadest behind, and narrower where they are prolonged to forma part of the orbit; the anterior frontal is single, sub-trigonal, broadest behind. ‘There are two nasal plates; the anterior is semicircular, concave behind; the posterior is quadrilateral, and concave before for the nostril. ‘The anterior orbital plate is very large and a parallelogram in shape, and reaches to the posterior nasal, as there is no loral plate; the posterior orbital is single, triangular, its basis before and slightly 124 CALAMARIA STRIATULA. hollowed. The inferior wall of the orbit is completed by the third and fourth labial plates, of which there are five, the fourth and fifth very large. The neck is not contracted. The body is short, rather thick, and covered above with small sub-hexagonal scales, truncated posteriorly, and strongly carinated, the lower row only being smooth. The tail is very short and thick. Cotour. The whole superior surface of this serpent is reddish-brown; the inferior surface is pale salmon-colour. Dimensions. Length of head, 43 lines; length of body, 8 inches; length of tail, 2 inches: total length, 10 inches 4% lines. In the individual here described there were 130 abdominal plates and 30 sub-caudal bifid plates. Hasirs. This animal lives almost constantly under the bark of dead trees, or under rocks and stones, feeding entirely on insects. GeocrarnicaL Distrinution. The Calamaria striatula inhabits the Atlantic states, from Maryland to Georgia. Generar Remarks. Linneus gave a short description of this animal from specimens sent him from Carolina by Dr. Garden. The first figure of the Calamaria striatula may be seen in Latreille’s Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles, though it is but ordinary. Schlegel has lately given an excellent description of this serpent, from specimens found near New Orleans. Khinostoma coccinea SH Kichara del LS Duval Lite Pee 7 125 RHINOSTOMA —Fitzinger. Genus Ruinostoma.—Cnaracters. Head short, small, and not distinct from the neck; rostral plate large, prolonged in front, sub-acuminate, ecarinate above; loral plate single; one anterior and two posterior orbital plates; superior orbital not projecting; mouth small; two posterior maxillary teeth next to the last are largest; body elongated and nearly cylindrical. RHINOSTOMA COCCINEA.—Blumenbach. Plate XXX. Cuaracters. Head small, short; rostral plate large; a trihedral pyramid; body above crimson, marked with about twenty yellow transverse bands, bordered with black; abdomen beautiful silver-white. Pl. 188. Sc. 39. SynonymeEs. Coluber coccineus, Blumenbach, Licht. et Voigt, vol. v. p. 10, pl. 5. Coluber coccineus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. Lin., tom. i. part ii. p. 1097. Coluber coccineus, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des Rept., tom. vii. p. 43, pl. Ixii. fig. 1. Coluber coccineus, Latreille, Hist. des Rept., tom. iv. p. 148. Coluber coccineus, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 119. Heterodon coccineus, Schlegel, Phys. des Serp., tom. ii. p. 102. Description. The head is short, small, not quite so large as the body, with the snout prolonged and pointed. ‘The vertical plate is irregularly rhomboidal, 126 RHINOSTOMA COCCINEA. very broad in front, and pointed behind, where it is received by the occipital plates; the superior orbital is single, oblong, hexagonal, and larger above than below, and instead of projecting over the eye, is concave on its outer margin. The occipital plates are two in number, broad, and larger in front, with two temporals of variable shape. The frontal plates are irregularly hexagonal, with the longest border joined to the vertical and loral, with three articulating facets externally for the anterior orbital, loral and posterior nasal plates; the anterior frontal are quadrilateral, larger below and smaller above. The rostral plate is large, thick, and sub-rhomboidal, with its summit prolonged and acuminated; the nasal plates are double, the anterior quadrilateral, the posterior pentagonal, with the nostril between them—the posterior is joined to the orbit by a large square plate. The loral plate is large and of pentagonal form; the posterior orbital are two in number, quadrilateral, and nearly of equal size. There are six large irregularly quadrilateral labial plates on each side of the upper jaw, the second and third of which form the inferior walls of the orbit of the eye. The nostrils are lateral, and at a distance from the snout. ‘The eyes are small; the pupil black, with the iris reddish-grey. The neck is not at all con- tracted. The body is elongated, cylindrical, and covered with smooth scales, and with broad plates below. The tail is short, thick, and pointed at its extremity. Cotour. The anterior part of the head is yellow, with a transverse black band just behind the orbits of the eye. The body, at first view, seems bright vermilion, marked with transverse black rings, placed in pairs, but separated from each other by a yellow ring; yet, if examined attentively, there will be found about twenty ovoid, beautiful crimson spots, each spot surrounded with a black border, and separated from the adjacent spots in front and behind by a transverse yellow band: at the extremity of each of these yellow bands is placed a dusky sub-round spot, often indistinct, making a lateral series alternating with the vertebral row. The throat and abdomen are beautiful silver-white. RHINOSTOMA COCCINEA. 127 Dimensions. Length of head, 6 lines; breadth of head, 6 lines; length of body, 17 inches; length of tail, 3 inches: total length, 24 inches. Hasirs. The Scarlet Snake is very timid, and lives most of its time in concealment; seldom does it move abroad unless disturbed, or in search of its food, which is the various kinds of crickets, grasshoppers, We. Geocrapuican Distrisution. The range of the Rhinostoma coccinea is very limited. As yet I can only give, with certainty, from lat. 34°, in the Atlantic states, to the Gulf of Mexico. GeneraL Remarks. The first account of this serpent.may be seen in Lichtenstein and Voigt’s Magazin;* it is very accurate, and was furnished by Blumenbach. Gmelin copied it in his edition of the Systema Nature of Linneus, and Dr. Garden is given as authority for the locality of the animal. y Daudin next gave not only a full and accurate description of the Rhinostoma coccinea, but he accompanied it with an excellent figure. The “Couleuvre écarlate” (Scarlet Snake) of Bosct is quite another animal, doubtless the Calamaria elapsoidea, as both his description, as well as his plate, represent it as entirely surrounded with black bands, while in the Rhinostoma coccinea the whole abdomen is of beautiful silver-white. I cannot, by any means, agree with Schlegel, the distinguished ophidiologist, in placing this serpent among the Heterodontes, because it differs from them in so many particulars. The Rhinostoma has the head small, short, and not dilatable at will. In the Heterodon it is broad, flat, triangular and dilatable. In one the body is sub-cylindrical, and always of the same size; in the other it is always more or less depressed, and can be flattened extremely. * Vol. v. p. 10. + Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xiii. p. 267, pl. xxxiii. fig. 3. 5 128 RHINOSTOMA COCCINEA. The rostral plate, though prolonged in both, is of very different form, and is carinated above in Heterodon, and not in Rhinostoma; even in their teeth they are not much more allied to Heterodon than to Tropidonotus. 'The posterior large maxillary teeth are much more erect here than in either of those genera. In short, then, their whole ‘“physionomie” in life is different. The small head— the slightly projecting superior orbital plates—the small eyes—give the Rhinos- toma coccinea a mild and placid look, which really appertains to its character; while the broad, flattened head—the projecting superior orbital plates, like the Crotaloidea, gives an Heterodon the look of a bold, blustering fellow, as he is. OS