Hurter — Herpetology of Missouri. 155 



47. Natetx fasciata erytheogaster Shaw. Red-bellied 

 Water Snake. 



Tropidonotus fasciatus erythrog aster, Tropidonotus sipedon erythro- 

 gaster, Natrix sipedon erythrogaster, Tropidonotus erythrogaster, 

 Natrix sipedon fasciata, Nerodia erythrogaster, Nerodia sipedon 

 erythrogaster, Coluber erythrogaster, Anguis ventre cuprei coloris. 

 Description. — Scutuation of the head the same as the preceding spe- 

 cies. Dorsal rows of scales twenty-three, all strongly keeled on the 

 posterior third of the body, forming very conspicuous and continuous 

 ridges nearly to the end of the tail. Tail one-fourth of total length. 

 Ventrals 150. Subcaudals 68 pairs. 



Color. — Adult specimens are of a dark reddish brown (in alcohol 

 bluish black) color above, lighter on the sides; a lateral not well de- 

 fined band of dull blue extends along the abdominal scutellae. Body 

 beneath uniform dull yellow, tail bluish. All the specimens that came 

 under my observation had in life a plain yellowish abdomen, with the 

 exception of one from Quincy, 111., which had a red abdomen, which 

 turned yellow in alcohol. 



Young, born in captivity, showed at the age of two days the following 

 color pattern. The first impression is that it is a young Natrix fascia- 

 tus. Twenty-seven saddle-like blotches of dark brown, nearly black, on 

 the back. These blotches extend over the back from the ventral on one 

 side to the other. These blotches are widest on the back, where they 

 are only separated from each other by a light narrow streak. They be- 

 come greatly reduced in width at the sides, where the space between 

 the blotches is red. On the posterior third of the body the blotches are 

 of the same dark color as those on the back and in a red field. On the 

 anterior two-thirds of the body the ventrals have a dusky bluish edging 

 on the sides, leaving the central part plain yellow. The rest of the body 

 and the tail, all the ventrals and subcaudals, have an edging of the 

 same bluish color across the posterior edge of the plates. 



Size. — From tip of snout to vent 875 mm.; from vent to end of tail 

 235 mm. Total length 1,110 mm. 



Habitat. — Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, 

 Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Missouri lo- 

 calities: Dunklin and Butler Counties. In Illinois, St. 

 Clair and Randolph Counties. 



Habits. — This snake, when lifted up by the tail shows 

 a triangular head, with a greatly reduced neck, and re- 

 sembles very much a poisonous snake — such as the Cotton 

 Mouth. It feeds on fish and tadpoles, often swallowing 

 fish over six inches long. On May 13th I caught one with 



