688 REPTILES—COLUBRID &. 
This variety differs from the typical Heterodon platyrhinus by being of a uniform black 
or brown above, without spots, and having a slate colored abdomen. 
Habitat, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee. 
In the State, Dr. Kirtland reports it as having been fouud at Legionville and the Ohio 
hills. 
The Black Viper is apparently more ferocious than the typical 
platyrhinus. When disturbed it flattens its head, hisses, throws its 
mouth wide open, giving it the appearance of a dislocated lower jaw 
(which remains fixed for some time), and darts at the object. If unable 
thus to frighten away its foes, and is in turn a little roughly treated, 
such as being pushed with a stick, it will feign death, as was observed 
by Troost and also by Prof. Steere of Michigan University. The former 
of these gentlemen was so far deceived that he laid down his snake for a 
short time, when it made its escape, and was found again with diffi- 
culty. He also found in one which he dissected twenty-five oval eggs, | 
each three-quarters of an inch long, and without a calcareous cover. 
Grnus PITYOPHIS. Holbrook. 
Body rather jong and moderately slender; head elongated ; teeth equal, smooth ; 
cephalic plates not normal; rostral high, projecting forwards in some species; pre- 
frontals two ; postfrontals four or five ; nasals two; loral small ; anteorbitals one or two; 
postorbitals three or four; dorsal scales in 25 to 35 rows, middle ones slightly car- 
inated; gastrosteges 210-244 ; urosteges 44-72; post-abdominal scutella entire. 
Dorsal scales in 29 rows. *. : P. MELANOLEUCUS,. 
Dorsal scales in 29 rows ; Sctearinineats : : 5 : A : P. sAYI. 
PrvyoPHIS MELANOL&UCUS Daudin. 
Pine or Bull Snake. 
Coluber melanoleucus, DAUDIN, HARLAN. 
Pituophis melanoleucus, HOLBROOK, BAIRD and GIRARD, DUMERIL and BrBRON, GUNTHER, 
Copx, JORDAN. 
General color white to yellowish, with a dorsal series of large chestnut blotches, 
which are margined with black; abdomen unicolor, with sides irregularly mottled ; ver- 
tical plate sub-pentagonal ; postfrontals four, the internal pair sub-triangular, external 
polygonal; upper labials 8, lower 14; nostrils two, vertically oblong; rostral convex, 
projecting forwards and reaching to the internal post-frontals behind; tail about one- 
seventh of total length; urosteges 60-65; gastrosteges 215-230; dorsal scales in 29 rows. 
Length, 4 feet; tail 84 inches. 
Habitat, New Jersey, South Carolina and Florida, to Ohio. 
Rare in the State. Usually, if not always, the Bull Snake is found in pine 
woods. It lays from seven to twelve eggs in July, and prior to oviposi- 
tion the female is very irritable. They emit an odor which is believed 
to be of use in attracting the opposite sex.* 
*For habits of this animal see Am. Naturalist, Jan., 1875, p. 1. 
