The Striped Snakes— Garter Snakes 



Snake. It is very aquatic, and is seen frequently sunning on 

 the branches of bushes that overhang the water into which it 

 drops when alarmed. 



it produces small broods of living young. 



THE WESTERN RIBBON SNAKE 



Eutcenia proxima, (Say) 



In general outlines this species resembles the common rib- 

 bon snake, but the body is distinctly stouter, the tail proportion- 

 ately shorter and the head broader. 



Colouration. — The body is marked with three vividly defined 

 stripes, on a black or dark brown ground, but the stripe on the 

 hack is quite different in shade from those on the sides. With the 

 greater number of specimens the stripe on the back is deep 

 orange-yellow, while the side stripes are pale greenish-yellow. 

 Beneath the stripe on the side is a band of black or dark brown — 

 covering the ist and 2d rows of scales — and causing this paler 

 stripe to appear in bold contrast. 



The abdomen is immaculate greenish-white. 



Variations. — The ground colour varies as does the colour 

 of the stripes. Specimens from the Mississippi Valley are usually 

 jet-black, or very dark brown, with an orange stripe on the back 

 and pale greenish stripes on the sides. Frequent specimens 

 from Texas possess a bright red stripe on the back. The ground 

 colour of Texas and Mexican specimens varies into rich shades of 

 green. There are no tessellated markings between the stripes, 

 as seen with several of the commoner species of this genus. 



Dimensions. — The measurements given are of an adult 

 female specimen, captured near Dallas City, Illinois. 



Total Length 30* inches. 



Length of Tail 8| 



Greatest Diameter f 



Width of Head i " 



Length of Head If " 



Distribution. — The Central States (the Mississippi Valley) 

 including Indiana and Illinois in the East and Wisconsin in the 

 North, thence southward to Louisana. Westward, throughout 

 eastern Texas and eastern Mexico as far south as central Vera 

 Cruz. 



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