The Brown Snakes 



Total Length yj inches. 



Length of Tail ij 



Diameter of Body J 



Width of Head -fa 



Length of Head f 



Distribution. The species occurs rather commonly from 

 Maryland, westward to Illinois, and southward to Georgia (in- 

 clusive). In the southern portion of its range, it extends west- 

 ward to the Mississippi River. 



Habits. Similar to the preceding soberly-coloured and 

 diminutive reptiles, this little snake leads a secretive life. It 

 feeds upon worms and the soft-bodied larvae of insects that bur- 

 row into decaying trees. A female captured in North Carolina 

 on the roth of August, gave birth to seven young on the i5th 

 of the same month. The tiny creatures were not as thick as 

 an ordinary match. 



VIRGINIA'S SNAKE 

 Virginia elegans, (Kennicott) 



Size, form and colour like the preceding. The only differ- 

 ence between the two species consists in the narrower scales 

 arranged in a greater number of rows with the present one. If 

 the rows of scales across the body be counted they will be found 

 to number seventeen. With Valeria's Snake the scales are in 

 fifteen rows. 



Distribution. The Central Region southern Illinois, south- 

 ward to Texas (inclusive). 



