50 Btrecker — Reptiles and Batrachians of Texas. 



Tropidonotus sipedon fasciatus L. 



None of the water snakes collected by me are referable to this subspecies, 

 but Mr. Mitchell has sent me a very typical adult specimen from Victoria. 

 I found the subspecies transversus Hallowell very common along the 

 water courses in Refugio County, and later Mr. Mitchell secured speci- 

 mens near Victoria. As a rule the two varieties do not occur together. 



Tropidonotus rhombifer Hallowell. 



Very common in Refugio County. This species is very prolific. I have 

 36 young specimens about rive inches in length that were taken from the 

 body of a female thirty-four inches long. 



Haldea striatula L. 



Mr. Mitchell recently sent me an adult female containing seven em- 

 bryos. This is our only record. 



Coluber spiloides I), and B. 



This large Coluber is an abundant species in both counties and is 

 notorious as a destroyer of young fowls. On Mr. Barber's farm 1 cap- 

 tured a large specimen in the act of robbing a turkey's nest. It had 

 already swallowed one egg, hut on being disturbed, disgorged it. Mr. 

 James J. Carroll tells an amusing incident of one of these snakes. lie 

 had collected a number of hawk's egos and after removing their contents, 

 laid them in a plate and placed them near a window to dry. He left the 

 house for a short time and on his return found that one of the eggs had 

 disappeared. He retired to the next room and remained perfectly quiet 

 for a few minutes, and was rewarded by the appearance of a Coluber, 

 which at once attempted to steal a second egg-shell but was summarily 

 disposed of by the indignant ornithologist. 



Farancia abacura Holbrook. 



In November, 1905, Mr. Mitchell sent me a description of a snake 

 captured at Aloe, Victoria County. From the description, I referred it 

 to Farancia. Later, Dr. L. 0. Howard, Entomologist of the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, examined the specimen and continued my 

 Identification. This is. 1 believe, the first authentic record of its occur- 

 rence in Texas. 



Sistrurus catenatus consors 15. and (i. 



In the transactions of the Texas Academy of Science for L902 (p. 27) 

 Mr. Mitchell reports the capture of a specimen of this species at Victoria. 



Rev. A. II. Barber informs me that a rattlesnake, from the description of 

 which I take to be this species, is found in the coast region of Refugio 

 County, near Copano bay. 



