138 



chestnut brown colors, living among leaves and sticks and not 

 observed b}' most persons, even in localities wliere it occui's. 



Of the specimens of this species which we have received, only 

 five contained food, and this was entirely slugs or shelless snails. 

 £t is important to note that in the five stomachs were twelve slugs, 

 which are so very destructive to garden plants, especially cabbage,' 

 lettuce, beans, peas and young plants of nearly all kinds, when 

 growing close together in beds. Therefore, in reply to the many 

 inquiries we have received, asking how to get rid of slugs we recom- 

 mend introducing and preserving this harmless and valuable little 

 snake. It is interesting to know that this is the first and only de- 

 finite publication upon the food of this species, previous authors not 

 even venturing suggestions upon it. 



Owing to the fact that all the food which we have yet found in 

 their stomachs consists of slugs, and these mollusks feed mostly 

 by night rather than by day, we may conclude that the Red-bellied 

 snake is nocturnal in habits, and no doubt it remains concealed 

 during much of the day time and comes forth at night to take as 

 food those creatures which have the habit of crawling and feeding 

 on vegetation by night, and finding concealment in the daytime. 

 Perhaps this species feeds in daytime in places of concealment, 

 as under logs, boards, stones, etc., where slugs may be found hiding 

 by day. 



From our anatomical dissections of this serpent, we find nothing 

 significant concerning its manner of reproduction. The other spe- 

 cies of this genus is ovoviviparous, hence we believe this species 

 reproduces in the same manner. No available literary reference 

 contains any statement on this point. If we could receive enough 

 specimens during July and August, it would soon be settled. 



The largest specimen we have received was No. 3117, from Jef- 

 ferson county, which was fourteen inches long, and showed the 

 singular variation of having the belly blue-black instead of salmon- 

 red, in accordance with most individuals of this species. The 

 smallest specimen we have received was six inches in length, which 

 is our No. 4131 a, from Port Allegany, McKean county. Pa. 



No. 5. Storeria dehvyl (Ilolb.). DeKay's Snak« or Rock Soak*. 



Plat« XVII. 



DeKay's snake must be very similar to the Red-bellied Snake, 

 since it belongs to the same geims: Storeria. It consequently 

 agrees with No. 4 in having k<H'ls on the dorsal scales and a bifid anal 

 plate, the tail not one-third of (lie entire length, the loral plate 

 absent, and the color brownish; but it has seventeen rows of scales 

 instead of fifteen, as in No. 4, and generally has a gray dorsal 

 band bordered by lines of dots, and is grayish below instead of 



