The Water Snakes 



of living young — broods of forty or even fifty not being of rare 

 occurrence. The female pays no attention to her offspring, 

 which desert her immediately after birth, and within a few days 

 begin feeding upon small fishes. The very young snakes are 

 often found hiding under chips, or flat stones along the edges 

 of streams and ponds. 



THE RED-BELLIED WATER SNAKE; COPPER-BELLIED 



"MOCCASIN" 

 Tropidonotus fasciaius, variety erythrogaster, (Shaw) 



Of the three varieties of the banded water snake that merit 

 distinct, varietal names, the present reptile is the most closely 

 related to the typical form, although in the colouration of mature 

 individuals the most unlike it. This relationship is demon- 

 strated by the young; they are vividly banded above, precisely 

 like the young typical reptile; beneath, however, the abdomen is 

 immaculate and lacks all traces of the red spots that are so numerously 

 present with the latter serpent. The pattern of the young Red- 

 bellied Water Snake rapidly fades from the time of birth and 

 gives way to the colouration described herewith. In size and 

 form the Red-bellied Water Snake, when adult, in no way differs 

 from the preceding reptile. 



Colouration. — Dull, rusty-brown above. Rich and immacu- 

 late vermilion or brick-red beneath. 



Except in half-grown specimens, there are seldom traces 

 of bands on the back or the sides. With such specimens the red 

 of the abdomen is paler than with adults, and assumes a yellowish 

 tinge on the chin and throat. 



A large female specimen captured in an inlet of the Savannah 

 River was of a rich, coral red above, with a faint suggestion of 

 the bands on the sides; the colour beneath was brilliant brick- 

 red. This handsome snake gave birth to a brood of over thirty 

 young, which were reddish-yellow, with jet black, wavy cross- 

 bands. 



Strikingly distinct in the colouration of the adults, and 

 fairly constant in the display of its peculiar hues, this serpent 

 is well worthy its varietal name, and is easily recognised. 



Distribution. — Along the Atlantic coast the Red-belHed 

 Water Snake does not extend farther north than Virginia. In 



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