The Striped Snakes — Garter Snakes 



Group III. 



Side stripes on 

 the second and 

 third rows oj 

 scales. 



Group II. f 



1e. Body stout; neck slender; head very small. 

 Black or brown: three broad, yellow stripes. 

 butler's carter ssake, E. butleri. 

 Distribution. — Ohio and Indiana. 



' {. Body stout; liead moderately distinct. 



Eight plates on upper lips; three j'ellow stripes 

 on a darker ground-colour. 



WESTERN garter SNAKE, E. clegons.* 



Distribution. — Central Plains to the Pacific 

 Coast. 

 Moderately stout. Head very broad. 

 Eight plates on upper lips; brown, with three 

 narrow, paler stripes; two large spots back of 

 ■.he head. 



brown GARTER SNAKE, E. eques.* 



Distribution. — Western Texas to Arizona; 

 Mexico. 

 Body stout; head moderately distiyict. 

 Seven plates on upper lips ; three yellow stripes 

 on a darker ground-colour. 



COMMON GARTER SN.\KE, E. sirtolis.* 



Distribution. — The entire United States and 

 Mexico. 



Division B. General Pattern. — Dark spots on a paler ground- 

 colour. Xo stripes. 

 i. Moderately stout. 



Gray or brown ; Seven rows of brown or reddish spots. 



SPOTTED GARTER SNAKE, E. multtliUJCUlata. 



Distribution. — Southern Xew Mexico and northern Mexico. 

 Pale brown; six rows of small, reddish spots on the forward por- 

 tion of the body. 



RED-SPOTTED GARTER SNAKE, E. rufopUnCtotO. 



Distribution. — But one specimen known — from Arizona. 

 ♦Subject to considerable variation of colour. 



THE RIBBON SN.\KE 

 Eutamia saurita, (Linn.) 



The species is one of the most slender of the American ser- 

 pents. It is of moderate size. The scales are strongly keeled, 

 thus imparting a velvety aspect to the upper surface. With 

 most specimens, the tail constitutes a third or more of the total 

 length. 



Colouration. — Rich, dark browTi or black above, with a vivid 

 yellow stripe extending down the back, and a similar stripe on 

 each side, the latter coiering the third and fourth rows of scales 

 above the abdominal plates. With brown specimens, the stripes 

 are narrowly bordered with black. The stripe on the back is 

 very sharplv delineated and produces a ribbon-like aspect — 

 hence the popular name. 



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