Ill 



fork ou the sides, the branches anastomosing so as to divide the ground 

 -color into more or less distinct blotches. Each plate of the head with one 

 or more spots of yellow. Labials bright yellow, bordered with black. 

 Throat yellow. Belly yellowish, checkered with blue- black, the blotches 

 following the plates. The length may be four feet or more. 



This variety is distributed from Southern Indiana and Illinois south and 

 southwest to Mexico. A specimen found in Mr. Sampson's collection at 

 New Harmony and assigned by me to the typical getulus (94, 1887, 64) is 

 probably more closely related to saiji. Sayi has also been taken at Mt. 

 Carmel, 111., on the Wabash River. Prof. Blatchley reports having 

 found a small specimen at Terre Haute. Recently Mr. F. C. Test of the 

 U. S. Nat. Museum has shown me a large specimen of the variety sayi 

 that he took at Lafayette, Ind. This is by far the most northern locality 

 for the State, if not for the Mississippi Valley. The cross-bands of white 

 are very narrow, and there are few spots on the scales between the bands. 

 Length 3ft. 2 in. 



Ophibolus getulus getulus differs from sayi in having the white and yellow 

 more definitely disposed in bands which divide up the ground color into 

 blotches. Of these there are a dorsal and a lateral series on each side. 

 There are about 25 to 35 of the yellow cross-bands over the back. Usually 

 the lateral blotches alternate with the dorsal. Occasionally a specimen 

 may have more yellow than black. The belly has various proportions of 

 i;he yellow and the black. Southern in distribution, but likely to occur 

 in Indiana. 



Ophibolus getulus niger is a so-called variety of this species which Yar- 

 row (3, V, 438) has described from specimens sent to him from Wheat- 

 land by Mr. Robert Ridgway. 



It is characterized by the almost complete absence of the usual yellow 

 -spots. The head plates are entirely black, not spotted. On the body 

 there are spots on only a few of the scales of the lower rows. The 

 abdomen is dull black, with white blotches. One specimen taken at 

 Wheatland was 4 feet 6 inches long. This form is reported to be common 

 in that region. We have in the King-snake another illustration of the 

 phenomena seen in Heteroden platirhinos, Natrix sipedon, and some 

 others, a gradual transition from very spotted specimens to those which 

 are of a plain black color. We can not give a distinct name to every 

 stage in the change. 



Habits. — The habits of the different varieties of this species are, in all 

 probability, identical. It appears to be a snake of a mild and harmless 

 disposition. It is extremely active and strong. Holbrook says of it that 

 it is found abundantly in moist and shady jDlaces, although it never takes 

 to water or trees. It feeds on moles, small birds, or such reptiles as 

 lizards, salamanders, toads and the like, that fall in its way. He further 



