Hurter — Herpetology of Missouri. 161 



body and flattened to the damp ground — if that slight 

 movement betrayed its presence to the snake, which re- 

 sponded with a dash so quick and unerring that before the 

 frog could make a jump it was in the reptile's jaws. The 

 observer remained quiet until the frog was swallowed 

 and the snake, with the outline of the meal clearly defined, 

 glided away among the bushes." 



Dates of capture.— April 8, 14, 16, 22 ; May 6, 13, 16, 20, 

 21 ; Sept. 2, 30 ; Oct. 18, 23. 



52. Thamnophis radix Baird and Girard. Eacine Garter 

 Snake. Prairie Garter Snake. 



Eutainia radix, Eutaenia radix, Eutaenia haydenii, Eutaenia radix 

 twiningii, Eutaenia radix melanotaenia, Eutaenia sirtalis var. radix, 

 Tropidonotus sirtalis var. radix and haydenii, Tropidonotus ordi- 

 natus var. radix. 



Description. — Rostral wider than high, visible from above. Nasals 

 two, nostril almost entirely in the anterior. Frontal hexagonal; loral 

 quadrangular. One large anteorbital touching or nearly touching the 

 frontal. Postorbitals three. Parietals truncate behind. Temporals 

 1 — 2. Seven upper labials, sometimes seven on one side, eight on the 

 other; third and fourth entering the eye; fifth and sixth the largest. 

 Lower labials ten (occasionally nine or eleven), fifth and sixth the 

 largest. Head rather small, wider than the neck. Dorsal scales either 

 in 19 or 21 rows, prominently keeled; the fifth row as broad as long, 

 truncate behind, and not keeled. The appearance of this snake is dis- 

 tinctly rough. Ventral plates 140-170. Anal entire. Subcaudals 51-80 

 pairs. Tail one-quarter to one-fifth of total length. 



Color. — Above light, mostly dark, olive brown, with three stripes of 

 yellow and series of black spots. The dorsal stripe occupies the 

 median row of scales and the adjacent half of the next row on each 

 side. The lateral stripe lies on the third and fourth rows of scales on 

 the anterior part of the body, and descends to the third row posteriorly. 

 One or two series of black spots are usually to be seen below the lateral 

 stripe, on the first and second rows. Between the lateral stripe and 

 the dorsal one are two series of quadrate black spots. Sometimes they 

 are obscure. The upper surface of the head is dark olive, with two 

 little yellow dots on the middle suture of the parietals. The upper 

 labials are yellow, with a black edging posteriorly. Lower jaw and 

 throat yellow. Abdomen greenish or olive. On the outer ends of the 

 ventrals there is, on each side, a row of black spots, and the posterior 

 edge is often wholly edged with the same color. (Hay.) 



