COLUBER LEBERIS. 107 



Geographical Distribution. This serpent inhabits Pennsylvania, Ohio, 

 Michigan, New Jersey and New York, and doubtless will be found in many 

 others. To Dr. Green I am indebted for several fine specimens; and to Mr. 

 Haldeman for the living animal. 



General Remarks. I am happy in being able to restore this long lost species 

 to its proper place in the catalogue of North American reptiles, having no doubt 

 of its being the Coluber leberis of Linnaeus, as may be made plain by following its 

 early history. Kalm, who first observed this animal and furnished the description, 

 resided for a short time in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and from thence he 

 travelled to Canada: now the only serpent marked with dusky lines "fasciae 

 lineares nigrae," ever yet found in the section of country over which he passed, 

 is the animal now under consideration. It is true he represents it as a viper, 

 and in this he is followed by many naturalists, but they are excusable, as they 

 never saw the animal; and Kalm's observations must have been superficial, and 

 consequently not to be relied on: he was informed the snake was poisonous, and 

 he believed it; as Catesby was told the Heterodon niger was venomous, and he 

 of course represented it in his work with fangs. It is enough to say that no 

 poisonous snakes have been found in the country that Kalm examined, except 

 the Rattlesnake and Copperhead; and the herpetology of this region is perhaps 

 better known than any other part of the United States. Say next described this 

 serpent, and gave it the very appropriate specific name "septemvittatus," from 

 the number of its longitudinal dusky lines; his name, however, cannot be retained, 

 as that of Linnaeus has the right of priority, which should be adhered to rigidly. 



