COLUBEREXIMIUS. 83 



is a second series of subround spots, smaller and blacker than those of the back. 

 There is often a third series lower down and still smaller. 



The abdomen is silvery-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, said by Harlan to 

 have been 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 subcaudal scales. This animal is said 

 at times to exceed 4 feet in length. 



Habits. 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." 



Geographical Distribution. 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 

 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, I 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. 



