Genus STORERIA, B. & G. 



rStoreria, Baird aud Girard, 1853, 6, 135 ; Garmau, 1883, 13, 29, in 

 -part. 



Serpents of small size. Head distinct from the body. Tail only of 

 moderate length. Crown-shields nine. No loral. One or two anteor- 

 bitals. Two or three postorbitals. Nasals two, with the nostril be- 

 tween. Scales keeled ; arranged in fifteen or seventeen rows. Anal 

 plate divided. 



Scales in seventeen rows. dekayi, p. 88. 



Scales in fifteen rows. occijntomacnlata, p. 89. 



Storeria dekayi, (Holb.). 



DeKay's Snake. 



Tropidonotus dehayi, Holbrook, 1842, o^., iii, 53, pi. xiv ; Storeria dekayi, 

 Baird and Girard, 1853, 6, 135; Garman, 1883, 13, 31, pi. i. fig. 1. 

 , Head somewhat larger than the neck, flat above, and rather high. Ros- 

 tral as high as wide. Snout projecting beyond the lower jaw. One an- 

 teorbital, high. No loral. Two, sometimes three, postorbitals. Ujiper la- 

 bials seven ; eye over third and fourth. Lower labials seven ; fourth 

 and fifth large. Scales distinctly keeled ; in seventeen rows. Veutrals 

 120 to 145 ; subcaudals 40 to 60. Tail one-fifth the total length. 



The color of the upper surface is yellowish or reddish-ash, brownish- 

 olive, or even chestnut. The middle of the back with a paler, clay-col- 

 ored, dusky-edged band, three or four scales wide. On each side of this 

 vertebral band is a row of brown or black dots about the length of two 

 scales apart. These sometimes extend themselves and meet across the 

 dorsal stripe. Occasionally the dots, and sometimes the band itself, are 

 wanting. In such cases the color above is uniform. Below the dots 

 mentioned, other dots are occasionally seen. The color of the lower 

 surface is whitish or yellowish in alcoholic specimens, but in life the 

 color is often salmon or red. The ventrals with one or two dots of 

 brown at their outer ends. Plates of the head brownish, with some 

 minute dots. In highly colored specimens, there is a large brown spot 

 just behind the head on each side ; another spot on side of head and 

 across the corner of the mouth, and a small blotch under the eye. The 

 length of grown examples is from twelve to fifteen inches. 



Distribution from Maine to the Mississippi Valley, and south to the 

 Gulf and to Mexico. Probably occurring in every township in Indiana. 

 iKnown localities are : Wheatland (Ridgway) ; Lebanon (Nat. Mus.) ; 

 ]New Harmony (Sampson's coll.); Harrison county (specimens from 



