101 



wander about. I have a large specimen of erythrogaster that, in the night, 

 fell into a well that was being dug. 



The food of this snake consists of frogs, fishes, and similar animals. 

 There is an account in Nature of oiie which was found swallowing another. 

 Prof. Blatchley (94^, '91, 30) says that he found seven large Leopard 

 Frogs in the stomach of one of these snakes. Dr. J. A. Allen tells of 

 seeing one brought from the water with a pickerel a foot long in its mouth. 



These snakes are ovoviviparious, that is, they retain the eggs in the 

 body until they are hatched. In some cases the eggs may be laid a little 

 before the hatching takes place. In 1, 1887, 121, we are told of a case 

 in which 33 young were taken from the body of one large female. Each 

 one had attached to it a portion of an egg, from which it was absorbing 

 nutriment. Prof. F. W. Putnam tells us of a family of 22 of the young 

 of this snake, which were found in Massachusetts. Each one was 8 

 inches long. Another smaller specimen from Northern Indiana con- 

 tained 16 eggs. The young in these eggs were 7.5 inches long. Each of 

 these was provided with a well-developed egg-tooth. 



While investigating the question whether or not snakes "swallow" 

 their young, Prof. G. B. Goode found evidences that this act had been 

 observed in the case of the Water-snake seventeen different times. 

 This being such a common snake further observations ought to be made. 

 If one thinks that the young have been seen to enter the mother's mouth 

 she ought, if possible, to be caught, handled carefully, and pvit into a cage, 

 to see if the young will come out again. Or, if she is killed, a careful 

 dissection ought to be made, in order to learn whether or not the young 

 are really in the stomach. 



Natrix rhombifera, (Hallowell). 



Diamond Water-snake. , 



Tropidonotus rhombifer, Hallowell, 1852, 1, 177 ; Nerodia rhomhifer, 

 Baird and Girard, 1853, 6, 147; Natrix rhombifera, Cope, 1892, 3, 673. 



Head narrow. Anteorbital 1, sometimes 2. Postorbitals 3, the low- 

 est nearly meeting the anteorbital under the eye. Upper labials 8, the 

 sixth and seventh largest; the eye over third and fourth, not in contact 

 with the fourth on account of the lowest postorbital. Lower labials 11, 

 the fifth and sixth largest. Scales in 27 rows, all conspicuously keeled. 

 Ventrals 136 to 141. Subcaudals 62 to 70. 



Ground color above reddish gray. On the middle of the back there is 

 a series of about 50 squarish brown blotches. Alternating with the dor- 

 sal series there is, on each side, a series of similarly colored blotches. 

 The dorsal spots are about two scales long, and separated by the length 

 of three scales. The lateral blotches reach down to the ventrals and even 



