CROCODTLIANS, LIZARDS, AND SNAKES. 



917 



larger body. Tlie moccasin w:is killed, its l>oiic8 crushed, aud, hcyitiuiiig at. tlie 

 head, the king snake swallowed 16 inches of tlie moccasin's body. Clilorolorm 

 was then administered and both snakes preserved. The king snake had previously, 

 while in captivity, eaten seven snakes. Dr. Yarrow ' describes a specimen of 

 fietulun in the National Musenm that has two perfect heads. One bead is a little 

 larger than the other. The two gnllets nnite to pass into th^ one stomacb. 



The following- is Yarrow's description of the black form of this sub- 

 species called by him Ophiholiis (jetulus niger: 



Color entirely black, with the exception of the under part of the head ; upper and 

 lower labial marked like the typical O.geiulus tjetnliis. Head plates entirely black, 

 not spotted, and in one of the specimens 

 examined light central spots on the head 

 scales are to be seen. Frontals, parietals, 

 and superciliaries more elongated and 

 narrower than in the normal tyjie; fron- 

 tals aud prefrontals about the same. 

 Abdominal scutelke plumbeous, white 

 spotted, not yellow. A peculiarity of 

 the type specimens from which tbis de- 

 scription is prepared is that the third, 

 fourth, and iifth postabdominal scutella; 

 are entire, not divided ; but this last trait 

 has been noticed in other species of the 

 genus. In the specimen described, on the 

 second, and third row of scales are a few 

 sparsely scattered white spots resembling 



those of O.geiulus sai/i, but there is no approach to regularity, nor is there any indi- 

 cation of a pattern. Seven upper labials on both sides; nine lower on one, ten on 

 the other; twenty-one rows of scales, one anteorbital, two postorbitals. Length, 4 

 feet 6 inches. 



A younger specimen, 3 feet 4 inches long, is similar in appearance to the older one, 

 but there seems to be a tendency to a greater display of the white spots on the 

 sides. Color of tbe back, lustrous black; belly dull black, with milk-white macu- 

 lations. Isolated and minutely punctulated spots on the back show a decided ap- 

 proach to a pattern of coloration as in O.g. getuhis. 



Fig. 228. 



Ophibolus getulus Linn^us. 



151ack variety. 



Cat. No. 12029, U.S.N.M. 



It is uncertain whether tl^is form is a true subspecies or not. The 

 transition between it and the O.g. sayi is seen in Cat. No. 2362 of the 

 latter, from Tennessee, where the spots are very few in number. 



' American Naturalist, XII, p. 470. 



