WATER SNAKE. 683 
of Dr. Kirtland, as a slight token of the respect due him to whose enthu- 
siastic and untiring devotion to Science the West owes so much, I would 
also make some expression of my personal gratitude to the honored 
teacher, whose kind encouragement and instruction led me to study Na- 
ture, by dedicating to him his pupil’s first contribution to Science.” 
GrNUS TROPIDONOTUS. Kuhl. 
Body thick and stout; sizelarge ; cephalic plates normal ; anteorbitals one, sometimes 
two; postorbitals three, rarely two; labials and inframaxillaries large; nasals two; 
loral present; prefrontals two; dorsal scales in 23-29 rows, carinated; gastrosteges 
130-155 ; urosteges 65-85 all divided; postabdominal scutella bifid; general color three 
to five series of dark blotches upon a lighter ground; habits aquatic; reproduction 
Ovoviviparous. 
Dorsal scales in 23, rarely 25 rows. a. 
Dorsal scales in 25 rows; upper labials 9, lower 11; extralimital. . T. woopHOUSIL. 
Dorsal scales in 27 rows. C c : é : : : ; T, RHOMBIFER, 
Dorsal scales in 29 rows; extralimital, North Carolina to Georgia. . T. TAXISPILOTA. 
a. Abdomen usually spotted with dark. 5b. 
a. Abdomen unicolor. c. 
b. Gastrosteges 137-145. : fs : 4 : : ; F T. SIPEDON. 
b. Gastrosteges 128-133. 5 : ; “ 5 : - .  T. FASCIATUS. 
ce. Anteorbitals one or two. - ‘ ‘ : : .  T. BRYTHROGASTER. 
TROPIDONOTUS SIPEDON Linneus. 
Water Snake or Water Adder. 
Coluber sipedon, LINNZUS, SHAW, MERREM, HARLAN, KIRTLAND, STORER. 
Tropidonotus sipedon, HOLBROOK, DEKay, DUMERIL and BIBRON, VERRILL. 
Coluber padogaster, WIED. 
REGINA GRAHAMII Baird and Girard. 
Graham’s Snake. 
Tropidonotus grahami, GUNTHER, COPE, JORDAN. 
Regina grahamii, BAIRD and GIRARD. 
General color above brown, witha light vertebral line margined with black; lateral line 
yellow, with a black margin situated upon the first, second, and third rows of scales; 
abdomen yellowish, without spots; vertical plates nearly pentagonal, with the sides notched 
a little behind the center ; anteorbitals two; nasals one; upper labials seven, lower eight; 
postorbitals above the line of union of the fourth and fifth upper labials ; inframaxillaries 
reaching to the anterior end of the seventh lower labials; dorsal scales in 19 rows; 
gastrosteges 160-162; urosteges 57. Length, 20} inches; head, § inch; tail, 4 inches; 
transverse diameter of head, 5-16 inch; of neck, inch; circumference of body, 14 inch. 
Habitat, Mississippi Valley from Western Mexico, Texas and Louisiana, to Illinois and 
Michigan. 
Although I have no record of this species having been observed in the State, its 
range is such as to render its occurrence in Ohio probable, 
