The Water Snakes 



Total Lenc;th 3 feet, 2 inches. 



Length of Yail 8 " 



Diameter of Body i\ " 



Width of Head i" " 



Length of Head if " 



Distrihution. — -The range of this, tlie typical form, is from 

 Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico, including the state of Florida 

 where it is very common, thence extending westward to Texas. 



Habits. — In habits the various species of banded water snakes 

 are very similar. They never leave the immediate vinicity of 

 water and are characteristic from their habit of resting on the 

 branches of bushes and low trees that overhang the water, into 

 which they quickly plunge when alarmed. If disturbed while 

 upon the bank of a stream and some feet from the water, they 

 almost invariably take to the latter for shelter, even though 

 surrounding shrubbery or rocks offer a safe retreat; diving to 

 the bottom they remain for some time, to finally reappear at 

 some distance from the former spot. 



There are few reptiles more shy than these semi-aquatic 

 serpents. If escape be cut off, they assume a threatening at- 

 titude by flattening the head and body. At such times they 

 bite viciously and give off a very offensive odour, produced by a 

 secretion contained in glands near the base of the tail and volun- 

 tarily emitted by the snake when annoyed. Captive specimens soon 

 become tame and permit themselves to be handled with the ut- 

 most good nature. They are among the most hardy of reptiles, 

 subsisting for years upon a diet of frogs, toads, and fishes. 



Capable of displaying great agility in the water, these ser- 

 pents in a wild state feed largely upon fishes, although frogs and 

 toads form part of their diet. Warm-blooded creatures, such 

 as the smaller rodents and birds, so preyed upon many of the 

 larger snakes, are never eaten by the reptiles of this genus, which 

 confine their food entirely to the cold-blooded denizens of the 

 streams and swamps. Though persistently frequenting the 

 vicinity of water in a wild state, they will live and thrive in cap- 

 tivity, with no water, except in small vessels from which to drink. 

 Under such conditions the writer has reared numerous broods 

 of them. 



The Banded Water Snake is one of the most abundant 

 snakes of the Southern States. It gives birth to large numbers 



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