94 



Cduher dbsoletus eonfinis is common in the southern portion of the 

 iSJnited States. It has the scales in twenty-five, occasionally twenty- 

 -•seven, rows. The ground color is ash gray, and there are about forty- 

 ".■four elongated dorsal blotches of dark chocolate brown. Below these 

 'blotches are two other series of elongated spots of a similar color. The 

 latter spots run together to form on each side, especially arteriorly, a 

 longitudinal stripe. Ventral i:)lates about 240. A specimen of Coluber, 

 :iburteen inches long, sent me from Terre Haute by Prof. Blatchley, 

 .agrees in almost every respect with Baird and Girard's description of 

 Seotophis confinii. It has, however, two temporal plates, instead of one, 

 ;as stated by Prof. Cope. It is undoubtedly the same form as two large 

 specimens before me, one from Georgia, the other from Mississippi. 

 The latter belong to Coluber spiloides. When the small specimen is 

 compared with other half-grown and adult specimens of C. obsoletus, they 

 .appear to form an unbroken series from the very spotted young up to 

 ;the adults of uniform black. I conclude that C. spiloides is not more 

 tthan a variety of C. obsoletus, and C. confinis is probably an individual 

 •variation with respect to its temporals. 



Coluber obsoletus obsoletus ranges from southeast New York and the east- 

 i«rn base of the Alleghany Mountains to the plains, and south to North 

 Carolina and Texas. It probably occurs in all portions of our own 

 "State. It has been taken in the following localities : Wheatland 

 ((Ridgway) ; Franklin county, where it is common (Hughes and But- 

 ter); Monroe county (Ind. Univ. coll.); Jackson county fSt. Nor. 

 .-Sch. coll.); Terre Haute (St. Nor. Sch. coll. and Prof. Blatchley); 

 Jrvington (W. P. Hay). Three of the specimens examined, one taken 

 -at Irvington, another taken in Jackson county, and a third from Terre 

 Haute, had only twenty-five rows of scales. 



So far as I am aware, this is entirely a forest-inhabiting species. Our 



indistinctly spotted and almost jet black form is not distinguished by 



>xnogt people from tbe Black-racer, although it is a very different snake. 



"The latter is a slenderer snake and has very smooth scales in only sev- 



-«nteen rows. 



Coluber obsoletiis spends its time hiding about hollow logs and in holes 

 rabout standing trees. It often ascends trees in search of birds and 

 itheir young. Mr. Amos W, Butler, of Brook ville, says that they are 

 {the most destructive to birds of all our snakes. Besides birds, they no 

 .doubt prey on mice, rats, rabbits and other small animals. The dispo- 

 sition of this serpent is gentle, and it makes little resistance when sur- 

 iprised and seized by head and tail. It will open its mouth in an at- 

 iterapt to bite, but struggles little. Under such circumstances a Racer 

 ■would make a lively disturbance. One put into a box with a mouse 

 -iwould strike at the latter whenever it showed too much familiarity, but 



