The Water Snakes 



Brown above; a pale stripe on back and a broad yellow band on 

 side, bordered with black stripes ; aljdomen yellow. 



Graham's water snake, T. grahami. 

 Habitat. — The Mississippi Valley. 

 Olive ; two black stripes on back ; abdomen yellow, with two rows 

 of black spots. _ stripkd water snake, T. rigidus. 



Habitat. — Pennsylvania to the Gulf. 

 Light brown; four dark stripes on the back; abdomen yellow 

 in the middle, olive on the sides. 



clark's water snake, T. clarki. 

 Habitat. — Louisiana and Texas. 

 Grayish-brown, usually with lines of small black spots on the 

 sides; abdomen uniform yellow. 



western water snake, T. validus. 

 Habitat. — Extreme southwest; Mexico. 



II. Body transversely banded: 



a. Tail someuihat flattened. 



Olive; small cross-bands on the back; smaller blotches on 

 sides. flat-tailed water snake, T. compressicaudus. 



Habitat. — Florida. 



b. Tail round. 



Wide, dark cross-bands for the greater length of body, with 

 red or brown interspaces; abdomen white, 

 with red and black spots. 



banded water snake, T. fasciattis. 

 Habitat.— Yirg. to Fla. ; westward to Texas. 

 Wide, dark cross-bands on forward portion of body, breaking 

 into blotches on latter portion ; abdomen white, with red and 

 black spots. 



COMMON water SNAKE, T. fasciattis variety sipedon. 



Habitat. — Canada to North Carolina; westward to Kansas. 



Wide, dark blotches on the back, separated by lighter inter-spares of 



about one scale in width; similar, alternating blotches on the 



sides, with wide interspaces; aljdomen yellowish. 



GREEN-BANDED WATER SNAKE, 7". fasciatus variety transverstis. 



Habitat. — Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. 

 Rusty brown above; usually no bands, or these indistinct. 

 Abdomen immaculate vermilion. 



RED-BELLIED WATER SNAKE, T. fasciatus waxietv erythrogaster. 

 Habitat. — Southeastern United States. 

 Brown, with narrow black cross-bands, forming a diamond- 

 shaped pattern on back; abdomen yellowish. 



DIAMOND-BACKED WATER SNAKE, T. rhombifer. 



Habitat. — Mississippi Valley to Mexico. 

 Dark green; narrow black cross-bands on back, and similar 

 bands, in alternation on sides; abdomen yellow. 



GREEN WATER SNAKE, T. Cyclopium. 



Habitat. — Mississippi Valley and Gulf States. 

 (Most abundant in Florida). 

 Rusty brown ; large square blotches of dark brown or black on the 

 back, and similar, smaller blotches on sides Abdomen yel- 

 lowish, blotched with brown. 



BROWN WATER SNAKE, T. taxispHotUS. 



Habitat. — Maryland to the Gulf States. 



Detailed descriptions of these species are given herewith: 



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