COLUBRID^. — ex. 195 



rough bark. Var. confinis Baird & Girard is ashy gray, with 45 

 dark chocolate blotches on back, their edges faintly darker ; two 

 smaller series on side ; a dark baud between eyes ; belly blotched. 

 S. Ind. (Brookville, E. R. Quick) to S. C. and S. W. 

 cc. Vertical plate broader than long. 



558. C. vulpinus (Baird & Girard). Fox Snake. Light 

 brown, with quadrate, chocolate-colored blotches; vertical plate 

 broader than long. Scales 25. V. P. 200 to 210, L. 60. Mass. 

 to Kan. and N. (Lat., fox-like.) 



bb. Scales in 29 rows. 



d. Vertical plate longer than broad. 



559. C. emoryi (Baird & Girard). Ashy gray with transverse 

 brown blotches ; vertical plate elongated ; 6 or 8 median rows of 

 scales only keeled. Scales 29. V. P. 210 to 220. L. 40 to 50. 

 Kan. to Texas (extralimital). 



dd. Vertical plate as broad as long. 



560. C. lindheimeri (Baird & Girard). Back and sides with 

 black blotches, the interspaces paler ; scales edged with white ; 

 greenish white below ; centres of shields slate color ; about 9 rows 

 of scales obscurely keeled. Scales 29. V. P. 225 to 235. S. Ill, 

 to Texas. (This is identical with C. obsoletus.) 



aa. Body with 4 longitudinal brown stripes. 



561. C, quadrivittatus (Holbrook). Chicken Snake. Green- 

 ish yellow, with two brownish stripes on each side ; straw-color 

 below. Scales 27, only 5 to 8 rows keeled. V. P. 230 to 245, 

 Va. to Fla. (Lat., four-striped.) 



280. OPHEODRYS Fitzinger, (30ty, snake ; hpvs, oak,) 



562. O. aestivus (L.). Green Snake, Head conical, neck 

 very small ; bright clear green, yellowish below. Scales 17. V. P. 

 150 to 1G5 ; tail more than | of body. L. 30. Southern N. J. to 

 Ind. and S., abundant S. ; a most exquisite little creature, often 

 climbing bushes over water. 



281. LIOPELTIS Fitzinger. (Xelos, smooth ; TreXnj, shield.) 



neXTT], shield.) 



563. L. vernalis (DeKay.) Grass Snake. Head elongate, 

 neck slender ; eyes very large ; uniform deep green (bluish in 

 spirits), yellowish below; tail not quite ^ of length. Scales 15. 

 V. P. 125 to 140. L. 20. E. U. S., chiefly N. ; a beautiful 

 species. 



282. BASCANION Baird & Girard. (fiaaKavos, malignant.) 



564. B. constrictor (L.). Black Snake. Blue Racer. 

 Lustrous pitch black, greenish below, chin and throat white ; young 



