The Racers 



Brimley,* to whom the writer is indebted for various sugges- 

 tions and many interesting living specimens: 



"The eggs of the Biacksnake, (Bascanion constrictor) are 

 more frec^uently found than those of any other species of snake. 

 . . . 1 he eggs are free, not adherent to one another in clus- 

 ters, as is the case with some other species; in size they vary from 

 about 26 to 40 mm. in length, by 21 to 28 in width, and are found 

 in lots of from five to twenty-two in number, the larger lots usually 

 consisting of larger eggs than the smaller lots, from which one 

 would naturally infer that the smaller lots of srfialler eggs were 

 probably laid by smaller and younger individuals, and the larger 

 lots of larger eggs by larger and older individuals. 



"The eggs must take at least a month to hatch, possibly 

 much longer. A lot of 13 eggs were brought in June 28th, 1900, 

 and four of them were kept until they hatched on July 25th, 

 twenty-seven days later, the young snakes emerging through a 

 longitudinal slit in the egg. Sometimes there are several of these 

 slits; in this lot the markings of the young snakes began to show 

 on those preserved on July 6th, nineteen days before hatching. 

 Another lot of 21 eggs of this species brought in July i ith, 1902, 

 in which the spotted pattern had begun to appear on the em- 

 bryos, were kept till some of them hatched on July 28th, seven- 

 teen days later; three of these young snakes measured respectively 

 285, 300 and 303 mm. in length. Another lot obtained in 1900 

 contained among others, one egg which, though entirely normal 

 in external appearance, was very abnormal internally, masmuch 

 as it contained two embryos, and one of these was a two-headed 

 monster." 



Regarding the freak specimen mentioned in Mr. Brimley's 

 notes the writer would explain that he has obtained such creatures 

 from hatching broods of Hog-nosed Snakes {Heterodon platy- 

 rhiniis). King Snakes (Ophibolus getuliis). and Milk Snakes (O. 

 doliatus triangulus). The eccentric character has also been 

 observed among viviparous serpents. 



THE "BLUE" RACER; GREEN RACER; YELLOW- 

 BELLIED RACER 

 Zamenis constrictor, variety flaviventris, (Say) 

 More slender than the typical form — the Biacksnake — and 

 of smaller size. 



Colouration. — Bluish-green, pale olive or dark olive above. 

 The abdomen is pale yellow — the chin and throat are lighter. 



* The American Naturalist, Vol. XXXVII, No. 436, April, 1903. 



285 



