POISONOUS SNAKES OF NORTH AMERICA. 



357 



Thus it has very suuill eyes, smaller thau the shields between which 

 the nostrils are placed, while in the inocnous snakes the eyes are con- 

 siderably lar^yer. The snont of the EJaps is short, binut, and rounded, 

 while in the others it is elongate, conical, more or less pointed. More- 

 over, in the former the frontal shield is small, less than one-half the 

 size of one of the parietals, the latter much more than one-half. 



Fig. 3. 



TBOPIL-E VIEW OP SKULL OP ELAPS. 

 : i!ter J an. , 



Fig. 4. 

 PROFILE OP SKULL OP LAMPIJGPELTIS 



{A Iter .Tan.) 



Fig. 5. 



rOLOR PATTERN OF ELAPS. 



annuJatus; 

 "Osceola's 



With the live animals, free or captive, these characteristics are often 

 difficult of application. In such cases it is necessary to rely upon dif- 

 ferences in the color pattern as a means of identification. 



There are in the United States onl\ two well-defined species of Elaps. 

 The characteristic coloration of these consists of a series of transverse 

 rings of black, vermilion, 

 and yellow. This pattern is 

 repeated in several species 

 and subspecies of the genus 

 Lampropeltis (or OpMbolus), 

 known as "Scarlet King- 

 snake," L. doliatus; "Red A„er.,:,n 

 king snake," L. coccineus; "Ringed King-snake," L. 

 "Arizfma king snake," L. pyrrhomelaH, etc., as well as 

 Snake," Osceola elapsoidea; the "Scarlet Snake," Cemophora eoccine, 

 and to a less extent in "Le Conte's Snake," Khinocheilus lecontci, all or 

 some of which inhabit the same region as one or the other species of 



Elaps. In all of these red, 

 black, and yellowish is 

 arranged in more or less 

 l)erfect transverse rings. 

 Le Conte's Snake is less 

 ' ^" ' -""'■ ' characteristic and like the 



Cemoi)hora, easily told apart by having the entire under surface whitish, 

 while in the others, including the Ela2)s, the red and black is more or 

 less continued across the belly. There is one fundamental difference 

 in the arrangement seen in the species of EUqys within our boundary 

 and that in Lanipropclfis, Osceola, and Cemophora, which is that in 

 our Elapes that black rings are oordeid on each side by a yellowish 

 ring (fig. 5) while in the others the yellow rings are bordered on each 

 side by a black ring (fig. l\). 



Fig G. 



nOLOI! PATTERN OK LAMPROPELTIS 



