3G2 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, ls93. 



Eahits. — Comparatively little is kuowii of the habits of this beautiful 

 sualve, which like its harmless mimickers is often known as the bead 

 snake, beyond the paragraph by Holbrook (op. cit. p. 50) repeated 

 by most writers on the subject since his days, viz, that it is found 

 livin*;- under ground in the sweet jwtato flelds, and is frequently dug 

 np by the laborers when harvesting. 



The food of the Harlequin Snake seems to consist chiefly of other 

 snakes and reptiles. I have already referred to a specimen which had 

 swallowed a Bascan'wn as long as itself before it had fully digested a 

 garter snake. Dr. Matthes (op. cit., p. 58) opened three more Elapes 

 with the following result: Xo. 1 contained a half-grown Enmeces fas- 

 cidtus; Xo. 2 had in its stomach a small snake, remnants of a lizard and 

 a few beetles, the latter possibly the contents of the lizard's stomach; 

 No. 3 also contained a small snake besides remains of a small rodent. 

 Dr. O. P. Hay (Batr. and Kept. Indiana, 1S03, p. IL'L') reports having 

 found a Storer's snake, 13^ inches long, in a Florida EUipn, "21 inches 

 long. 



Xothing at all seems to be known of the breeding habits of our 

 harlequin snakes. 



This group offers a i^romising field for study by persons luiving the 

 opportunity to observe these snakes alive. 



TiiK SoxoRAX Coral, GxAKK. 



Elaps eiiri/xaiifhus, * Kennicott. 



Plat.; 2. t 



1860. — Elaj)fieuyyjr<inthi(fi, Kenxicott, Proc. Pbila. Acad., 1860, p. .337. — Cope, Proc. 

 Pliila. Aca.l., 1861. p. 296.— Cope, Proc. Phila. Aca.l., 1866 (p. 307).— Cope, 

 Bull. U. S. Nat. Miis. No. 1, ]). 34 (1875).— Cope, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 

 32, p. 86 (1887).— Cope, Proc. U.S.Nat. Mus.. xiv, 1892, p. 681 (1893).— 

 Coi'ES, Wheeler's Surv. W. 100 Mer., v, ji. 611 (1875). — Streets, Bull. U. 

 S. Nat. Mus. No. 7, p. 40 (1877).— Yarrow, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 24, 

 p. 82 (1883).— Garmax, Rept. Batr., N. Am., Opbid., pp. 107, 169 (1883).— 

 Cragin, Bull. Washburn Laborat., 1, 1884. p. 8. 

 Figurefi. None. 



Description 4 — Body rather stout, but less so than E./idviiis. Dorsal 

 scales large; plates of the head small, except the rostral, which is very 

 large and extends upward between the prefrontals [internasals]. Pre- 

 frontals [iuternasals] elongated laterally, more so than in E. tener. 

 Postfrontals [prefrontals] small, elongated laterally: vertical [frontal] 

 very small and narrow, subhexagonal, pointed anteriorly, elongated 

 and tapering i)osteriorly ; it enters but slightly between theoccipitals. 

 Occipitals [parietals] small, subtriangular, the anterior edge square, 



*From the Greek ftyu'f (eurus) broad; ^ar&oc (xanthus), yellow. 



t The figure cited is a half-tone rei)roduction of a colored drawing, hence the 

 yellow interspaces are entirely too dark ; it should l>e carefully i-oni])ared with the 

 description. 



t Original description by Kennicott, Pror. I'liila. Acad., 1S60, ]>. 3.37. 



