COLUBER GUTTATUS. Ill 



Habits. The Coluber guttatus is very commonly observed about the road side 

 early in the morning or at the dusk of evening; unlike most snakes, concealing 

 itself during the day. It is very gentle and familiar, frequenting the neighbourhood 

 of settlements, and at times entering houses; and is, according to Catesby, " a 

 great robber of hen-roosts." 



Geographical Distribution. At present I can only give North Carolina as 

 the northern boundary of the Coluber guttatus; beyond this its place is supplied 

 by the Coluber eximius of Dekay, which it much resembles. 



General Remarks. The Coluber guttatus seems to have been a great stum- 

 bling block to herpetologists, as may be seen by the great number of its synonymes. 

 It is clearly discussed in the twelfth edition of the Sy sterna Naturae, and no mention 

 is made of it in any of the previous editions. Linnaeus described it from a speci- 

 men furnished him by Dr. Garden, and at the same time refers to Plate LX. of 

 Catesby, though with doubt. What he did doubtingly, others have done boldly. 

 Plate LX. of Catesby is the beadsnake, and not the Coluber guttatus of Linnaeus; 

 but his Plate LV. is the cornsnake, and agrees with the Coluber guttatus in every 

 respect. 



We next find this animal described by Lacepede, under the name la mouchetee; 

 his description is good, and there can be no doubt of his meaning, for he refers 

 to the Coluber guttatus of Linnaeus; but he again errs in supposing the beadsnake 

 of Catesby to be identical with it. Lacepede again describes the same animal 

 under the name Coluber maculatus, (la tachetee,) from a specimen procured in 

 Louisiana; the description of the colours agree perfectly well with the Coluber 

 guttatus, but its abdominal plates are less numerous. Lacepede himself supposes 

 he is describing the cornsnake, as he refers to Plate LV. of Catesby, and says 

 they are common in Carolina and Virginia. 



Latreille, at the end of his description of the Coluber molossus, gives an account 

 of a serpent brought from Carolina by Bosc, which he thinks is closely allied to 



