THE SNAKES 251 



having a pale band on each side of the back. Numerous 

 phases, some without a pale collar, a few a uniform 

 blackish brown for the entire length of the body, are 

 found in Southern Europe. Except that it is oviparous 

 — egg-laying — the habits differ little from the near 

 allies. Frogs, toads and fishes form the food. In cap- 

 tivity the Ringed Snake lives for years, becoming affec- 

 tionately tame. Three and a half feet is close to the 

 maximum length. 



The Tessellated Snake, T. tessellatus, derives its 

 name from the longitudinal rows of small spots arranged 

 in tessellated — "checkerboard" — pattern; the spots are 

 blackish on a yellow or olive-gray body hue, hence in 

 striking contrast. This pretty snake is semi-aquatic, 

 occurring in Italy, Switzerland (south of the Alps), in 

 the middle Rhine and Moselle Valleys, Bohemia, thence 

 throughout southeastern Europe, southwestern and cen- 

 tral Asia. An adult measures a yard. 



One of the Indian water snakes, T. macropthalmus , 

 spreads the neck in a fashion resembling the hood of 

 the dreaded cobra. At a time when a bounty was 

 offered for cobras, the heads of considerable quantities 

 of these water snakes were brought in by the ignorant 

 classes, who, much to their disgust were told by the 

 technically informed officials that the "hooded" snakes 

 they found so plentifully along the streams and prom- 

 ised to be a source of generous revenue were but harm- 

 less imitators of the actual cobra. 



Following Tropidonotus in technical classification are 

 several satellite genera, composed of small, retiring 

 snakes, supposed to have originated from the water 

 snake group and, by the adoption of burrowing habits, 

 degenerated in size, structure and elaboration of pattern. 

 Seminatrix contains a single species, S. pygcea — the 



