The Rat Snakes or Colubers 



dubbed to death the harmless snakes upon his lands, may boast 

 about the extermination of the reptiles, but fails to realise that 

 his labours in setting traps to destroy "vermin" constitute but 

 weak and unsuccessful efforts of the work the snakes have been 

 steadily maintaining. 



The Colubers may generally be recognised by the flaiiened 

 abdomen, the crawling-surface forming almost right angles with 

 the sides. The body is moderately stout, the head broad 

 and rather square. The scales of the body are so feebly keeled 

 that with most of the species they appear quite smooth unless 

 very closely examined. 



In making up a key for these serpents, the colouration has 

 been employed as the distinguishing character. This popularises 

 the key but throws the species out of the order in which they 

 should be arranged according to their actual relationship. The 

 proper order is preserved, however, in the descriptive list. The 

 colouration in the key appeals only to the adult individuals. 

 The peculiar pattern of the young, of several species, will be 

 described in the succeeding pages. 



The key follows : * 



A. A series of large, central blotches and a smaller series on 

 the sides of the body. 



*Markings strongly defined. 



a. Markings dark brown or blackish on a yellowish 

 or gray body-colour. 



No head bands. Yellowish, with regular, dark brown 

 blotches 



RED-HEADED COLUBER; FOX SNAKE, C. VulpiflUS. 



Distribution.— Central States. 

 No head bands. Yellow; black blotches sending out 

 line-like points and assuming an H-shaped formation. 



DAVIS MOUNTAIN COLUBER, C. SuboCuIartS. 



Distribution. — Davis Mountains, Texas. 

 Dark band on side of head. Gray, with dark brown 

 blotches, assuming H-shaped formation on neck. 



GRAY COLUBER, C. obsoletus, vzuety confinis. 



Distribution. — Southern portion of the Central 



Region and the S. E. United States. 



Long, dark band on side of head. Gray, with regular, 



brown blotches. emory's coluber, C. emoryi. 



* One other genus — Rhinechis , with a single species, is embraced in 

 this chapter; the scales are smooth; the colouration is in transverse 

 blotches. 



295 • 



