REPTILES 



207 



C. f. frenatus (Stejneger). In Arizona, Utah, Nevada and 

 California. 



C. /. flavi-gularis (Hallowell). In Oklahoma and Texas to New 

 Mexico. 



C. lateralis (Hallowell). Length 665 mm.; tail 250 mm.; color 

 brown above with a yellow stripe on each side, yellow below; head 

 somewhat spotted; ventrals about 200: in western California and 

 southern Arizona. 



C. taniatus (Hallowell). Body very slender, 1,280 mm. long; 

 tail 400 mm.; color black with many yellow lines on the sides; belly 

 white, but pink on the tail; throat spotted with black: Idaho to Texas, 

 Arizona and eastern California; often common. 



II. Elaphe Wagler {Coluber Auct.). Large, non-venomous snakes 

 with a flat, blunt head; dorsal scales with slight keels; lateral scales 

 smooth; scales in 25 to 29 rows: about 20 species in North America 

 and Europe and Asia; 9 species in the United States. 



Key to the Species of Elaphe 



ai Few dorsal scale rows keeled; 2 bands from the neck cross the 

 parietals and meet on the frontal, 

 bi Spots bright red; belly checkered black and white; south 



western; in the southeast E. guttata. 



b2 Spots brown; belly white and gray; western E Iceta. 



a2 Most of the scale rows keeled, 

 bi Body spotted in color. 



Ci Dorsal blotches squarish E. vulpina. 



Co Dorsal blotches H-shaped E. 0. confinis. 



bo Body not spotted. 



Ci Color black E. 0. obsoleta. 



C2 Color yellowish, with 4 dark stripes. 



di Neck spots H-shaped E. 0. confinis. 



6.2 Neck spots not H-shaped E. vtdpina. 



da No neck spots E. quadrivittata 



E. quadrivittata (Holbrook). Chicken snake. Length 2,000 mm.; 

 tail 300 mm.; color yellow or light brown, with 4 dark brown or black 

 stripes; scales in 27 rows: southeastern and Gulf States, from North 

 Carolina to the Mississippi River; arboreal; often around chicken 

 houses, where they feed on rats, young chickens and eggs. 



E. Iceta (Baird and Girard) (Coluber emoryi B. & G.). Length 800 

 mm.; tail 160 mm.; color gray, with a dorsal series of large rectangular 

 brown blotches alternating with 2 more or less distinct smaller series on 

 each side: Missouri and Kansas to Mexico; common towards the south. 



