194 KF.rTiLiA : oniiniA. — xxviii. 



278. NATRIX I.aunnti. {Tropidonotus Kuhl.) 



a. Scales ill 2.'! to i!r> rows. 

 b. Kostral plate single. 



551. N. sipedou (L.). Watkr Snake. " Moccasix." Brown- 

 ish, back and sides each with a scries of large, square, dark blotches 

 altcriiatiii;^ witli each other; about 80 in each series; rarely uni- 

 form brownish ; bellv with brown blotches. Scales, 23. V. P. 130 

 to 15U. L. 30 to 50. N. Kng. to Kan. and S. ; very abundant 

 about streams, feeding on fishes and frogs. Variable ; an unpleasant 

 and ill-tempered, but perfectly harmless snake. Prominent varie- 

 ties are var. woodhousei Baird & Girard : color of Sipcdon, a narrow 

 whitish line between dorsal blotches. Scales 25. S. 111. to Texas. 

 Var. erythrogaster Shaw, uniform red-black above, coppery below ; 

 head long ; scales strongly keelecl ; Mich, to Kan. and S. 



552. N. fasciatus (L.). Soutiikrx Watkk Snake. Dark 

 brown, with transverse black blotches on back and about 35 oblong 

 red spots on sides; back sometimes with broken rings of yellow 

 dots; belly reddish, usually blotched. Scales 25. V. P. 12.s to 

 135. S. Ind. (Jiidgwa;/) to Tc.\as and S. E., swarming iu the 

 lowland swamps S., doubtless varying into N. sipedun. 



hb. Rostral plate divided into two by a vertical suture. 



553. N. bisectua (Cope). Olive brown, a row of small blackish 

 spots on side ; head and belly nearly ])lain. V. P. 143. Scales 

 25. One specimen from Washington, D. C. 



aa. Scales in 27 to 33 rows. 



554. N. cyclopion (Dumdril & Bibron). Plumbeous, with al- 

 ternating blackish vertical bars 1 to U scales wide. V. P. 140 to 

 150. Scales 27 to 33. S. 111. to Fla. (»ti;/<Xa)\//-, round-eyed ) 



555. N. rhombifer (Ilallowell). Brown with aV)out 50 black (piad- 

 ran.Milar blotches bordered by black lines. Scales 27, all keeled. 

 V. P. 140 to 145. Mich, to 111. and S. W. (Lat., bearing rhombs.) 



279. CALLOPELTIS t *lii.ip.Tn e". (>caX6r, beautiful ; 

 ti(\tt], shield.) 



o. Body without longitudinal brown stripes. 

 b. Scales in 2h to 27 rows. 



c. Verticnl pliitu lonj^er than broad. 



556. C. guttatus (L.). Corn Sxakk. Red brown with a dorsal 

 series of large, red, dark-edged blotches; belly checkered with 

 black. Scales 27. V. P. 210 to 230. L. 50. Va. and S. (Lat., 

 spotted.) 



557. C. obfloletuB (Sav). Pii,<»t Snakk. Lustrous black, some 

 scales whitcH'dgeil ; l)elly slaty-black; median scales of back ob- 

 scurely keeled, the rest smooth. Scales 27. V. P. 235. L. 50 to 

 75. Mass. to 111. and Texas ; one of our lartj^est snakes, often 

 climbing trees to a great height by following the depressions in 



