1(54 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



most water snakes. Like all ovoviviparous snakes, they 

 bring forth large broods of young snakes. 



Dates of capture. — March 5, 13; May 26; June 3; Oct. 

 16; Nov. 23. 



Genus storeria. 



Hypapopliyses developed throughout the vertebral column. Maxillary 

 teeth 14 to 18, equal; mandibular teeth equal and not grooved. Head 

 distinct from the neck. Eye rather small. Cephalic plates normal, 

 loral plates absent. Anterior and posterior orbital plates present. 

 Body subcylindrical. Tail comparatively short. Dorsal scales keeled. 

 Anal plate divided. Subcaudal plates in pairs. 



Key to the Missouri Species. 



Dorsal scales in 17 rows. DeKayi. 



Dorsal scales in 15 rows. occipitomaculata. 



54. Storeria dekayi Holbrook. DeKay's Snake. De- 

 Kay's Brown Snake. 



IscJmognathus deKayi, Tropidonotus dcKayi, Coluber ordinatus. 



Description. — Rostral as high as wide or a little wider. Snout pro- 

 jecting beyond the lower jaw. Nasal divided, nostril partly in the 

 prenasal. Internasals broader than long, much shorter than the pre- 

 frontals. Frontal about one and a half times as long as broad, longer 

 than its distance from the end of the snout, shorter than the parietals. 

 One anteorbital. No loral. Two, sometimes three, postorbitals. Upper 

 labials seven, third and fourth entering the eye. Temporals 1-1 or 

 1-2. Lower labials seven, fourth and fifth the largest. Pour labials 

 in contact with the anterior chin shield. The anterior chin shield 

 longer than the posterior. Head larger than the neck, flat above and 

 rather high. Dorsal scales in 17 rows, all keeled, the first row weakly. 

 Ventrals 120-145. Anal divided. Subcaudals 40-60. Tail one-fifth of 

 the total length. 



Color. — The color of the upper surface is yellowish or reddish-ash, 

 brownish-olive, or even chestnut. The middle of the back with a paler, 

 clay-colored, dusky-edged band, extending from the occiput to the end 

 of the tail, and about three or four scales wide. On each side of this 

 dorsal band is a row of brown or black spots, about the length of two 

 scales apart. Sometimes the color above is uniform. Below the dots 

 mentioned, other dots are occasionally seen. The color of the lower 

 surface is whitish or yellowish in alcoholic specimens, but in life is 

 often salmon or red. The ventrals sometimes have one or two dots 

 of brown at the outer ends. Plates of the head brownish, with some 

 minute dots. There is a large brown blotch just behind the head on 



