692 REPTILES—COLUBRIDA, 
a. Gastrosteges, 230-240; tail at anus moderate, tapering gradually te a point; ex- 
tralimital, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Missouri . . . . OC. CONFINIS. 
b. Dorsal region greenish-yellow, with four longitudinal brown bands; extralimital, 
North Carolina to Florida. ) ‘ 3 ; C. QUADRIVITTATUS. 
b. Dorsal region without bands. . 
c. Gastrosteges, 230-235; vertical plate longer than broad; black above. 
C. OBSOLETUS. 
c. Gastrosteges, 210-230 ; vertical plate about as long as broad ; red dorsal blotches; 
extralimital, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, to Mississippi. 
C. GUTTATUS. 
d. Vertical plate about as long as broad; extralimital, Texas to Arkansas. 
C. LINDHEIMERLL 
d. Vertical plate longer than broad; extralimital, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, and 
Illinois. 5 ; : ‘ ; : : C, EMORYI. 
CoLUBER OBSOLETUS Say. 
Pilot Black Snake or Racer. 
Coluber obsoletus, Say, HOLBROOK, KIRTLAND, 
Coluber obsoletus, et alleghaniensis, DEKayY. 
Scotophis alleghaniensis, BAIRD and GIRARD. 
Elaphis alleghaniensis, ALLEN, 
Coluber obsoletus, et Scotophis alleghaniensis, COPE. 
Color black, sometimes with the scales margined with yellowish-white, giving the 
appearance of lighter blotches; head black above; upper labials greenish-yellow; 
abdomen dark or a mottled black and yellow, or black and white; gular and lower 
maxillary region either mottled or dirty yellow; vertical plate sub-pentagonai, longer 
than broad; occipitals large, truncate behind; postfrontals and rostral large; upper 
labials, 8, the two posterior the largest, lower, 11, fifth and sixth largest; inframaxil- 
laries extending to eighth lowerlabial; dorsal scales in 27, rarely 25 rows; gastrosteges, 
230-235 ; urosteges, 80-86. Length, 5 feet; head, 1? inches; tail, 10 inches; transverse 
diameter of head, 1 inch; of neck, 9 lines; circumference of body, 44 inches. 
Habitat, Massachusetts, Coanecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North 
Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. 
In the State I have seen but one specimen of the Pilot Snake. It 
came from Yellow Springs, Clarke county, and was sent to me by Prof. 
Tuttle, of the Ohio State University. It differed from the typical Coluber 
obsoletus by having 25 instead of 27 rows of scales, and a slightly broader 
vertical plate, approaching in these respects the southern variety, confinis. 
It is said to dwell for the most part in damp places, crawling upon the 
hills in autumn previous to hybernation, and is an animal of “ prodigious 
velocity,” probably rare in our limits. It resembles and is liable to be 
confounded with the Blue Racer, Bascanion constrictor, from which it can 
be readily distinguished by its darker color, and having the central dorsal 
scales carinated instead of smooth. 
