172 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Mar., 



sets, particularly in the middle of the body, are connected by a 

 black line 1 scale wide. The venter is white or yellowish. Hol- 

 brook's description, "Most of them (gastrosteges) with a black spot 

 at either extremity and the centre dotted minutely with black," 

 applies to some of the younger specimens very well, and in almost 

 all the older individuals the same coloration can be discovered, 

 namely, two rows of squarish black blotches with a dusted lighter 

 Hne down the middle of the belly. Rarely, the black obscures all 

 semblance of pattern. The gular gastrosteges usually are without 

 the lateral spots and the whole anterior edge is black bordered; the 

 head is like the body in color; the lower labials have a fine dusted 

 appearance. 



Dimensions and Variations. — The specimens vary in length from 

 63-130.5 cm., all except four being over 100 cm.; in the largest 

 specimen (130.5 cm.) the tail is 30.5 cm. long and the tail is con- 

 tained in the length in the eleven specimens from 3|-5J times, 4 or 

 4J being the riormal. The gastrosteges are 130-142 or average 

 135; the urosteges are 62-70, the average 67, far below the 70-90 

 of Cope and Brown. Anal plate usually divided; in three specimens 

 with a half gastrostege ahead of it and in one or two a whole gastro- 

 stege divided, otherwise this plate anterior to anal plate is entire; 

 in No. 6,111 the anal is entire and in No. 6,224 it is also entire with 

 a faint transverse median furrow extending halfway backward 

 toward the anus. The scale rows are far below 31-33 rows, the 

 combinations being 27-27-21, 28-28-22, 29-31-22, 29-29-21 twice, 

 29-30-23, 29-30-22, 30-30-25, 30-29-22, 30-28-23, 31-31-21 or 

 in the middle of the body from 27-31— not 29-31 or 31-33 as dis- 

 covered in other members of this genus. In fact, only two have 

 31 and only three 30 in the middle of the body. The oculars are 

 1-2; the supralabials 8, the eye resting on the 4th, except in rare 

 cases when over the 4th and 5th; the infralabials 10-12; temporals 

 2-4 in eight instances, 2-5 in six and 2-3 in three cases. 



Habits. — This snake is par excellence the snake of the open water 

 courses in the swamp or narrow runs just wide enough for a boat. 

 Either along Log River or Minne Lake Run one can hear a succession 

 of pied water snakes as they drop off into the water. They may 

 climb upon the dead branches or live shrubs which line the water 

 courses or rest on the little islets or verdant hummocks where many 

 an individual is hidden. Particularly does one find them in the 

 latter situations on the hottest days, and not infrequently we have 

 approached close enough on such days to club them. As they 



