The King Snakes 



The movements of the heads were entirely independent of each 

 other. While one would be gazing about, with quivering tongue, 

 the other might be quiescent. This unique reptile lived for 

 about a year, actually growing to about two-thirds the length 

 of an adult specimen. 



THE RED MILK SNAKE 

 Ophibolus doUalus variety dericus, (B. &. G.) 



Smaller than the preceding serpent and more closely re- 

 sembling the typical form, owing to the wider blotches and the 

 paler ground-colour, imparting more the appearance of being 

 ringed above with scarlet and yellow than blotched or spotted 

 like the variety triangiilus — the Northern Milk Snake. 



Colouraticni. — Yellowish above, with a series of large, deep 

 scarlet, transverse blotches, narrowly bordered with black, 

 which vary in their extension to the third, second or first rows of 

 scales — the majority reaching the two latter rows. With some speci- 

 mens the blotches are chestnut brown. There is a row of smaller, 

 alternating blotches on the sides, widely margined with black 

 which so fuses over many of them as to nearly obliterate the red. 



The head is mostly red above, with a small, light spot above 

 each eye. Immediately behind the head and preceding the 

 first of the regular blotches is a circular spot of the ground-colour, 

 ringed with black; this takes the place of the triangular patch 

 of light colour on the neck of the Northern form — triangulus, 

 and is a useful character to be considered in distinguishing the 

 present variety. 



The abdomen is white, boldly tessellated with black. 



Examined from above, this variety looks like a red snake, 

 marked with narrow rings of yellow or pale gray — the latter 

 bordered with narrower rings of black. From the side, the large 

 blotches will be seen to be wider than with the variety triangulus 

 — extending much nearer the edges of the abdominal plates. 



Dimensions. — An adult specimen from Washington, D. C, 

 shows the following measurements: 



Total Length 19 inches. 



Length of Tail 2f 



Diameter of Body -^ " 



Width of Head f " 



Length of Head f 



346 



