The Water Snakes 



Colouration. — Owing to considerable variation among spec- 

 imens of this species, the pattern is rather difficult to describe. 

 It consists of dark bands of moderate width, crossing a pale, 

 brownish ground-colour, which tends to evince a bright shade 

 of red upon the sides. The outlines of the bands on many spec- 

 imens, however, are ill-defined upon the back, and with such 

 there is the appearance of a dark brown or blackish snake, with 

 oblong or triangular patches of bright red or yellowish-brown 

 upon the sides — which light colour represents the ground-colour 

 between the bands. Extending across the back are a series of 

 narrow, yellowish bands — these represent the interspaces of 

 ground-colour between the darker markings composing the pat- 

 tern. The abdomen is yellowish-white, with numerous bright 

 red blotches and clouded spots of black and gray. 



It is with young or half-grown specimens that the pattern 

 may be distinctly seen. It will, on such, be observed to con- 

 sist of wavy bands, crossing a pale ground-colour, for nearly 

 the entire length of the body. These bands are considerably 

 wider on the back than upon the sides, thus leaving but a nar- 

 row and generally wavy line of the paler hue between them, while 

 on the sides, where they narrow, the interspaces are nearly as 

 wide as the bands themselves. This arrangement explains the 

 peculiar marking of the adult snakes, on which the novice might 

 be led to mistake the general dark hue produced by the obscure 

 bands for the ground colour, and the bright reddish interspaces 

 on the sides, for the markings. Very old specimens are almost 

 uniform black or brown above, but always show the brilliant 

 red blotches upon the abdomen. 



Variations* — Few serpents evince more variability in col- 

 ouration than the present species. The width of the bands 

 vary considerably, as does also the ground-colour. In a large 

 series before the writer are the following phases: 



a. Black, with brick-red bars upon the sides. South Carolina. 



b. " " yellow " " " " 



c. Black, with distinct, narrow bars of brown 

 crossing the back. But faint markings on 

 side. 



d. Black, with reddish bars on sides, and 

 yellowish, narrow bands across the back. " " 



* Several distinct and constant varieties occur, descriptions of which 

 follow that of the typical form. 



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