POISONOUS SNAKES OF NORTH AMERICA. 361 



tendency toward iucreasing the number of ventral sliields (gastrosteges), 

 narrower frontal and parietals, widening of the yellow rings, and 

 greater size of black spots in the red rings. Individuals showing these 

 characters well developed have been called Elaps tencre, or Elaps fulvius 

 tenere, but there does not occur in any locality a sufficient percentage of 

 individuals typical of the form to make it profitable to recognize a 

 subspecies. 



The status of some Florida specimens differing considerably in 

 pattern from normally colored U. fulvius has not been satisfactorily 

 settled as yet. They are stated not to differ at all in structure or 

 proportions. Only a few specimens seems to have been collected — I 

 have myself only seen one — and that in a locality in which the normal 

 form also occurs. More material is highly desirable. Prof. Cope calls 

 them JElajJS distans. The chief difference from typical E. fulvius con- 

 sists in the greater width of the red rings, which are not spotted with 

 black, and the consequent narrowing of the black rings to 2 or 3 scales. 



Geograjyhical distribution. — I do not know how reliable the informa- 

 tion was, upon which Holbrook states that the range of this species 

 may "be said to begin in North Carolina and southern Virginia," for I 

 am not aware of any definite record of specimens taken in those States, 

 though it may well occur there, as we have quite a luimber of records 

 and specimens from South Carolina even as far north and back in the 

 country as Society Hill and Columbia. It extends over Georgia and 

 the entire State of Florida. From Alabama, Mississippi, and Louis- 

 iana there are numerous records. The Bead Snake evidently follows the 

 Mississippi River up a considerable distance notwithstanding the mea- 

 gerness of details known, and notwithstanding the fact that the vigi- 

 lant observers in St. Louis, among them Mr. Julius Hurter, have failed 

 to find it. It even ascends the Missouri River, as Dr. Hoy obtained it 

 near that river in about 39° latitude. How much reliance can be placed 

 upon the identity of the specimen which Holbrook quotes as in the 

 possession of Prof. Green, of Philadelphia, and said to have been 

 brought by Lewis and Clarke from the " Upper Missouri," I do not 

 know, but almost certainly there is some mistake. Recently two spec- 

 imens liave been captured in southeastern Indiana and southwestern 

 Ohio under circumstances which make it appear probable that the 

 species occurs along the Ohio River (Hay, Batr. Rept. Indiana, p. 122; 

 Butler, Journ. Cincinn. Soc. Nat. Hist., 1892, p. ITS). lu the southern 

 part of Texas this snake is found in all suitable localities, ascending a 

 considerable distance into the interior along the great river valleys. 

 Thus along the Rio Grande it extends up to the mouth of the Pecos, 

 even ascending the latter, as Capt. John Pope's siiecimens were col- 

 lected certainly not farther south than the tliirty-first parallel. In 

 southern Texas, moreover, it reaches a higher altitude than farther 

 east, viz, over 1,000 feet, while none of the records of the eastern local- 

 ities show it to reach e^•en an altitude of 500 feet. 



