CROrODILIANS, IJZARDS, AND SNAKKS. 



843 



In young specimens of this species (as Cat. Nos. 81)81, 14094) tlie keels 

 of the scales are very obscure, or absolutely wanting-, even up to a length 

 of430mni.(Cat. No. 14094, Texas). The brown prefrontal and postocular 

 bands are also very distinct, but there is no trace of the parietals. With 

 increasing age the marks become obscure, or disappear altogether, and 

 the abdominal spots become less distinct. Aj^art from the wide head 

 and compressed neck and body, the young of the C. spiloides can only 

 be distinguished from that of the C. qnaclrivittatus, by the greater 

 strength of the colors and the smaller number of the dorsal and lateral 

 spots in the former. 



The number of temporal scales varies much in the C. spiloides. 

 There are usually three vertical rows, but sometimes there are four, and 

 even five. In the latter case a large scale of the labial or parietal 

 border covers two rows. 



The habitat of this species is the entire Austroriparian subregiou. 



Coluber spiloides Dumeril and Bibroti. 



P^rom whom received. 



Miss C. Paine 



Miss H. Tunnison 



J.W.Milner. 



Anderson, South Carolina . 



Monticello, Mississippi 



Northampton County, 



North Carolina. 



...-do 



Tallaliassee, Florida 



Grand Couteau, Louisiana. 



Pensacola, Florida 



Kinstou, North Carolina. . . 



Indei)eudence, Missouri ] 



Wheatland, Indiana j D. Ridgway. . . 



I'exas ! G. H. Ragsdale 



Kinston, Nortli Ciirolina 1 J. W. Miluer . . 



Hahipshire County, North i 



Carolina. " i 



Pensacola, Florida 



Hampshire County, North 



Carolina. i 

 Grand Uoteau, Louisiana 



Nature of specimen. 



Alcoholic type. 

 Alcoholic, 

 do. 



do.' 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 

 d... 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 



do. 

 do. 



do. 



Mr. Morris Gibbs sent me a specimen from Kalamazoo, Michigan, 

 which is the most northern locality known. 



Professor Hay ^ thinks that this species is a color form of the C. ohso- 

 letus. He bases this conclusion on the spotted coloration of the young 

 of the latter, but I do not find this to be a valid argument. The young 

 of C. quadriviUatiis are spotted much as in the G. spiloides and some C. 

 ohsoletus. The range of the C. spiloides is less extensive than that of 

 the C ohsoletus, which includes the Eastern subregion. 



This is the only one of our North American snakes which displays 

 the compressed body which is not uncommon in the Colubrine snakes 

 of the tropics. This character distinguishes it from the other members 

 of the genus found within our limits, but is shared by the C. triaspis 

 Cope, of the Central American fauna. This peculiarity implies more 

 or less climbing habits, and I suspect that when the C. sjriloides is 

 better known it will be found to climb on bushes and low trees. 



Seventeenth Ann. Rept. State Geol. Indiana, 1892, p. 502. 



