24 EUTAINIA. 



Genus EUTAIIVIA, Baird & Girae. 



Gen. Char. Body moderately stout in some species, slenderer in 

 others. Scales carinated. Skin very extensible. Cephalic plates 

 normal. Anterior orbitals 1 ; posterior 3. Abdominal scutellae all 

 entire; subcaudal divided. Dorsal rows of scales 19-21, Abdomi- 

 nal scutellce, 140-170. Subcaudal, 50-120. General color, three 

 light stripes on a darker ground, intervals with alternating or tesse- 

 lated spots. Abdomen without square blotches. Mostly terrestrial. 

 Many of the species ovo-viviparous. 



A. Body very slender, elongated. Tail very long. Lateral stripe 

 on the third and fourth rows of scales. Dorsal rows 19. 



1. Eutainia. saurlta,, B. & G. — Very slender. Color above light 

 chocolate. Three stripes of uniform yellow. Below the lateral stripes, light 

 brown. Abdomen greenish white. On an average the length of tail is more 

 than one-third the total length. 



Stn. Coluber saurita, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 385. — Gm. Linn. Syst. 

 Nat. ed. xiii, I, iii, 1788, 1109.— Hael. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. V, 

 1827, 352.— Stokek, Kep. Kept. Mass. 1839, 229.— Thomps. Hist, of Verm. 

 1842, 115. 



Leptophis sauritus, Holer. N. Amer. Herp. Ill, 1842, 21. PI. iv. — Dekay, 

 New York Fauna, 1842, 47. PI. xi, fig. 24, 



Riband Snake ; Swift Garter Snake. 



A broad vertebral line of sulphur-yellow, occupying one and two 

 half-rows of scales, the line margined for half a scale on each side 

 with black. A lateral stripe on each side along the 3d and 4th rows 

 of lateral scales 5 the scales in the exterior edges of this stripe occa- 

 sionally speckled or margined with black. Skin between the scales 

 black, with numerous small yellow lines, half a scale long, seen only 

 in dilating the skin. In some specimens the black shows as a series 

 of lateral spots. The usual double spot on the lino of union of the 

 occipitals. Orbital plates yellowish white, as are the lower part and 

 sides of the head and throat. 



