90 



Harmony (Sampson's coll.); Montgomery county (A. W. Butler); Leb- 

 anon, Boone county (S. F. Baird) ; Irvington, where it is less common 

 than S. dekayi; Terre Haute (Blatchley). 



I know little about the habits of this snake. Smith (IS, 698) states 

 that they are somewhat nocturnal, and live chiefly under logs and stones. 

 They are in all probability ovoviviparous. In the stomach of a specimen 

 taken at Irvington I found a slug. 



Genus COLUBER, Linn. 



Coluber, Linnseup, 1758, 64, ed. x, 216 ; Scotophis, Baird and Girard, 

 1853, 6, 73 ; ElapMs Garman, 1883, 13, 53. 



Snakes attaining a large size. Head distinct from the body ; rather 

 narrow and long. Crown-shields 9. Vertical broad. Loral present. 

 Anteorbital 1, large. Postorbitals 2. Nasals 2, with the nostril be- 

 tween. Mouth deeply cleft, the outline nearly straight. Dorsal scales 

 keeled, except some of the lower rows, which may be smooth ; arranged 

 in 23 to 29 rows. Anal plate divided. Ventral plates 200 to 240, 

 Subcaudais 63 to 95. 



(In rare cases, especially specimens of C. guttatus, all the scales may be 

 smooth.) 



Analysis of the Species of Cohiher. 



A. With longitudinal bands of brown. N. C. to Fla. quadrivittatus. 

 AA. Blotched above or uniform black. 



a. Scales in 25 (rarely 23 or 27) rows ; with chocolate blotches. 



vulpinus, p. 90. 

 aa. Scales in 25 to 29 rows. 



Scales in 27 rows ; blotches red. guttatus, p. 92. 



Scales in 27 (rarely 25 or 29) rows ; upper surface nearly 

 uniform black, or grayish, with black blotches. 



obsoletus, p. 93. 



Scales in 29 rows ; color ash-gray, with about 70 blotches of 



brown. Kansas to Mexico. emoryi. 



Coluber vulpinus, (B. & G.). 

 Fox-snake* 



Scotophis vulpinus, Baird and Girard, 1853, 6, 75 ; Cooper, 1860, 20^ 

 xii, pt. ii, 299, pi. 22. Elaphis guttatus var. vulpimis, Garman, 1883, IS^ 

 56 ; Coluber vulpimis, Cope, 1875, 13, 39. 



Form elongated and rather slender. Tail tapering, and forming 

 about one-fifth the total length, ending in a hard, straight spine. AU 

 the cephalic plates behind the prefrontals large. Postfrontals bent down 



