1915.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 159 



stege is cut out of it; in eleven of the thirteen specimens the scales 

 are in 17-17-15 rows; in No. 6,208, 19-17-15, and in No. .6,207, 

 19-15-15; preoculars 2, the upper one often with a transverse furrow 

 extending across it for ^ to ^ of its width; postoculars 2, except in 

 No. 6,152, where 3 are on the left side; temporals 2-2-2, rarely 

 3-3-3, or 3-2-2, or 1-1-2; infralabials 8, in four specimens 9 on 

 ■one side; loreal 1, but in No. 6,157 there are two, the upper one 

 being cut off from the prefrontal; rarely the postnasal is transversely 

 divided; supralabials 7, in No. 6,154 there are only 6 on the left side, 

 the normal 5th and 6th having united; in Nos. 6,150 and 6,156 

 8 supralabials are on both sides, while in No. 6,151 there are 8 on 

 one side and 7 on the other; whenever eight supralabials occur, the 

 eye rests on the 4th and 5th supralabials, not on the 3d and 4th. 

 This eight supralabial condition Cope thinks rather peculiar to 

 the Plains (flaviventris) or Pacific {vetustum) forms of C. constrictor. 



6154 6151 6154 



6157 6152 6151 



Fig. 8. — Coluber constrictor Linn. 



The presence of three specimens with 8 supralabials and 1 loreal 

 and one specimen with 7 supralabials and 2 loreals suggests that 

 in C. stejnegerianus these characters are hardly of enough value 

 for the establishment of this new form on these slender grounds 

 alone. In fact, distinctive scutellation characters between C. 

 constrictor and C. flxgellum become scarce in the light of this large 

 percentage of 8 supralabials in our collection. The characters of 

 the frontal and color become more than ever the main reliance. 



Habits. — ^This species and the spreading adder are the two most 

 common snakes of the drier parts of the swamp. It seems to prefer 

 the cover of the blueberries and saw palmettoes, Avhere it swiftly 

 pursues its prey. It, however, also appeared commonly about the 

 Lee's clearing, where it was often seen but seldom captured. Only 

 when we could get it in the open did we stand a fair chance of taking 

 it alive, so lightning-like are its movements. In fact, it is fast 

 enough to catch anything which moves on the ground of its environ- 



