BRANSON : SNAKES OF KANSAS. 397 



three specimens in this laboratory last summer. Birds, toads, 

 lizards, mice, insects and smaller snakes were placed in the 

 cage with them. They paid no attention to the birds, toads, 

 lizards, and insects, but attacked the mice as soon as they saw 

 them. They would attempt to swallow dead mice that were 

 placed in the cage, but always seized them by the middle of 

 of the body. They could not swallow them without beginning 

 at the head, and eventually gave it up. I captured a specimen 

 in Gove county in August, 1893, that had just swallowed a 

 mouse. From these observations I conclude that mice are its 

 principal food. 



This snake is not often found far from water. The ones that 

 I kept in captivity last summer stayed in the water most of the 

 time. One of these snakes molted three, one four and one 

 two times during their five months' captivity. The one that 

 molted four times always became cross just before molting 

 and would strike at me when I attempted to handle him. He 

 did not strike hard enough to do any injury. 



OPHIBOLUS Baird and Girard. 

 Coluber getulus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., I, 1766, p. 382. 



Ophibolus getulus Baird and Girard, Cat. N. Amer. Rept., Pt. I, Serp., 1853, 

 p. 85. 



Lam.})ropeltis getulus, Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, p. 225. 

 Cope divides this species into five subspecies, only one of which, Ophibolus 

 getulus sayi, occurs in Kansas. 



Ophibolus gentulus sayi Holbrook. 



Say's King Snake, Chicken Snake, Guinea Snake. 

 Cornelia sayi Holbrook, N. Amer. Herp., Ill, 1842, p. 99. 



Ophibolus sayi Baird and Girard, Cat. N. Amer. Rept., Pt. I, Serp., 1853, 



p. 84. 

 Ojjhibolus getidus sayi Cope, Check-list N. Amer. Batr. Rept., 1875, p. 7. 



Dorsal scales smooth, in twenty-one rows. Occipitals large, 

 irregularly pentagonal. Frontal long, pentagonal. Supercili- 

 aries narrow, shorter than the f rentals. Prefrontals large, tri- 

 angular, wider than long. Rostral triangular, little visible 

 from above. Internasals medium, quadrate. Loreal small. 

 Two quadrate nasals. Oculars 1-2. Upper labials seven, 

 fifth and sixth largest. Lower labials nine, fourth and fifth lar- 

 gest. Pregenials larger than postgenials. Gastrosteges 200- 

 220. Urosteges 40-60. Anal plate entire. 



