135 



scales are smooth, except those of the median dorsal row, which are 

 obtusely keeled. The tail is about twice as long as the head and body. 



The color of the upper surface and the sides is olive, with several 

 longitudinal narrow lines of brown. In life the lighter colors are green 

 and yellow. There may be a dorsal dark band with a broad olive band 

 on each side, followed on the sides by three dark lines above and two 

 below the lateral fold ; or the broad bands of olive may contain two 

 additional narrow lines, in which case the whole upper surface and the 

 sides are narrowly streaked with brown and yellowish or green. A 

 specimen is occasionally found which has the upper surface black, without 

 any lines, and the sides with rows of white ocellated spots. Again, the 

 lines may be wholly replaced by rows of spots. The abdomen is yellow, 

 sometimes orange, occasionally slate color. Head brownish or olive, with 

 mottlings of darker. Lower jaw yellow. 



The average length is about 18 inches, but specimens may occur as 

 much as 3 feet. 



The distribution is from Southern Virginia west to Wisconsin and south 

 to Mexico. 



In Indiana this reptile has not shown itself to be widely distributed or 

 abundant. Professor John Collett tells me that he has seen it in Warren 

 county. I have a specimen that was secured at Wolcott, in White 

 county, by Mr. Charles S. Beachler. I find mention (7, 30, 122) of one- 

 being taken in Starke county. Mr. Robert Ridgway informs me that it 

 was formerly a very common species in the Lower Wabash Valley, 

 especially about Mt. Carmel. Since the reptile is most abundant in the 

 Southern States, this finding of it in the most northern portion of Indiana 

 indicates that we are likely to discover that it is a resident of the whole 

 State. 



On account of the serpent-like form of this lizard, it is almost univer- 

 sally regarded as a snake. It may be distinguished from the members of 

 the order of serpents by the little distensible mouth, the firm union of 

 the sides of the lower jaws at their symphysis, by the possession of eye- 

 lids, and by the rows of small scales covering the belly. On the lower 

 surface of snakes there is a series of plates that pass across from one side 

 to the other. 



Wherever this lizard is found it has attracted a great amount of atten- 

 tion, especially on account of the facility with which the whole animal 

 appears to break up into short pieces. Along with this knowledge of its 

 fragility, which has given it the name of " Glass-snake," there goes the 

 tradition that these pieces have the power of reuniting themselves, so 

 that the reptile is thoroughly reconstructed and as sound as ever. Con- 

 cerning these matters there has been a great amount of discussion in the 

 newspapers and the scientific journals. As regards the liability of the 

 animal to break up into pieces of different lengths on being struck or 



