63 



COLUBER TESTACEUS.— Say. 



Plate XIII. 



Characters. "Body above, pale sanguineous or testaceous; beneath, sangui- 

 neous, immaculate." PI. 198. Caud. Sc. 80. 



SrNONTMES. Coluber testaceus, Say, in Long's Exped. to Rock. Mount., vol. ii. p. 48. 

 Coluber testaceus, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., p. 113. 



Description. The head is sub-ovate, elongated, the snout prolonged slightly 

 and rounded. The form of the head, as well as the plates that cover it, and the 

 disposition of the eyes and nostrils, appear in the preserved specimen to be 

 precisely similar to those of the Coluber constrictor. The body is long and 

 slender, and is covered with large, smooth, hexagonal scales above, and with 

 broad plates below. The tail is long and slender. 



Colour. The whole superior surface of the animal is pale brick-dust colour, 

 or "pale sanguineous;" the abdomen and inferior surfaces are brighter red, or 

 " sanguineous." 



Dimensions. Length of head, 1 inch 8 lines: total length, 5 feet 2 inches. 



Habits. Though a long snake, it moves with great rapidity in search of its 

 prey, or to avoid its enemy. 



Geographical Distribution. The Coluber testaceus has as yet been observed 

 only near the Rocky Mountains. 



