168 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



from their subterranean haunts, and a good many were 

 found in the northern part of the city at the settling reser- 

 voirs of the oity water works at Bissell Point. Most of 

 them were dead, however, when discovered. Dr. P. R. 

 Baer gave me two specimens, which his son had caught 

 in their yard on top of a hill near 'Fallon Park. I also 

 found one in a quarry south of the River Des Peres in St. 

 Louis County. The species seems to be nocturnal and of 

 burrowing habit. 



Genus haldea. 



Head elongated, distinct from the body. One internasal. Pre- 

 frontals large, entering together with the loral into the orbit, thus 

 suppressing the anteorbitals. Postorbital one. Two nasals. Dorsal 

 scales in seventeen rows, all keeled. Anal divided. Subcaudals also 

 divided. Vertebral column with hypapophyses throughout. 



57. Haldea striatula Linnaeus. Little Brown Snake. 



Natrix striatulus, Calamaria striatula, Virginia striatula, PotamopMs 

 striatula, Conocephalus striatulus, Coluber striatulus. Serpent stri^. 



Description. — Rostral small, nearly as deep as broad. But one inter- 

 nasal, which is twice as broad as long. Prefrontals reaching to the 

 orbit. Frontal about one and a half times to twice as long as broad, 

 as long as or a little longer than its distance from the end of the 

 snout. Two nasals, nostril in the posterior margin of the anterior 

 nasal plate. Loral at least three times as long as deep, reaching to 

 the orbit. One postorbital. Temporals 1-1. Five upper labials, third 

 and fourth entering the eye; fifth the largest. Six lower labials; four 

 in contact v.ith the anterior chin shields, which are much longer than 

 the posterior. 



Head small, scarcely wider than the neck. Body cj^lindrical. Dor- 

 sal scales in seventeen rows, keeled; the outer row on each side con- 

 spicuously broader and smooth, or very feebly keeled. Tail short,, 

 tapering much. Ventrals 119-130. Anal divided. Subcaudals 25-45 

 pairs. 



Color. — Color above grayish or reddish brown, beneath salmon color 

 in life, yellowish in alcoholic specimens. A light chestnut band 

 across the parietals, spreading over the angle of the mouth. This 

 band is often wanting. 



Size. — Total length 250 mm. Tail 42 mm. 



Habitat. — Virginia, south to Florida, west to Alabama, 

 Louisiana, Texas and up the Mississippi Valley to Ar- 



