188 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



bach, who picked it up from the furrows in a plowed field, 

 at Highland, Madison Co., 111. 



Dates of capture. — April 2, 22, 24, 29; May 26; Sep- 

 tember 9. 



Genus diadophis. 



Head sub-elliptical, elongated, depressed, distinct from the body. 

 Cephalic plates normal. Two ante- and two post-orbitals. One loral. 

 Two nasals, nostril between them. Eyes large. Mouth deeply cleft. 

 Body slender. Dorsal scales smooth, in 15 to 17 rows. Anal divided. 

 Subcaudals in pairs. 



72. Diadophis kegalis arnyi Kennicott. Ring-necked 

 Snake. 



Diadophis rcgalis, Diadophis arnyi, Diadophis punctatus aryni. 



Description. — Rostral wider than high. Nasals two, nostrils in suture 

 in the anterior one. Upper labials seven, third and fourth entering 

 the eye, sixth the largest. Temporals 1-1. Lower labials eight, fifth 

 the largest, five in contact with the anterior chin shields, which are 

 nearly twice as long as the posterior. Dorsal scales in 17 rows, smooth, 

 with one pit. Ventrals 160. Anal divided. Subcaudals in 50 pairs. 

 Head depressed, little distinct from the body. Tail short. 



Color. — Above uniform leaden or olive brown to black. A yellow 

 band across the base of the head, one to two scales wide. Beneath 

 yellowish or reddish yellow and still redder under the tail. Thickly 

 and irregularly spotted with black on the whole ventral surface. 



Size. — Total length 310 mm.; tail 51 mm. 8 



Habitat. — From Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, south to 

 Arizona and Mexico. Missouri localities : — St. Louis, Jef- 

 ferson, Washington, Iron, Butler, Stone, Jasper, Gasco- 

 nade, Crawford, Jackson, Randolph, and Montgomery 

 Counties. In Illinois, St. Clair County. 



Habits. — The Ring Snake is rather common but never 

 found outside of its cover. It occurs mostly under rocks 

 and logs. I once found one in the mold inside of a rotten 

 tree stump. Another time on turning over a rock, about 



• This species is the largest of the genus Diadophis, 



