362 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEl^M, 1893. 



Babits. — ( '(Huparatively little is known ot the habits of this beautiful 

 (suake, wliieh like its harmless miinickers is often known as the bead 

 snake, beyond the paragia])h by Holbrook (op. cit. p. 50) repeated 

 by most writers on the subject since his days, viz, that it is found 

 living' under ground in the sweet potato fields, and is frequently dug 

 up by the laborers when harvesting. 



The food of the Harlecjuin Snake seems to consist chiefly of other 

 snakes and reptiles. 1 have already referred to a specimen which had 

 swallowed a Bascaiiion as long as itself before it had fully digested a 

 garter snake. Dr. Matthes (op. cit., p. 58) opened three more Elapeti 

 with the following result: No. 1 contained a half-grown Eumeces fas- 

 ciatUH; No. 15 had in its stomach a small snake, remnants of a lizard autl 

 a few beetles, the latter possibly the contents of the lizard's stomach; 

 No. '.\ also contained a small snake besides remains of a small rodent. 

 Dr. O. 1'. Hay (Batr. and Kept. Indiana, 1893, p. IL'2) reports having 

 found a Storer's snake, 13^ inches long, in a Florida Elaps, 21 inches 

 long. 



Nothing at all seems to Ix^ Icnown of the breeding habits of our 

 harleqnin snakes. 



This group offers a promising field for study by persons having the 

 opportunity to observe these snakes alive. 



TllK SoNOKAN CoKAL.GNAKE. 



Elap.s eiirj/xanfliKs, * Keniiicott. 

 Plate 2. t 



18(iO. — Elapxeuryxanthns, Kksnicott, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1860, ji. 3.S7. — Cope, Proc. 

 Pliila. Acad., 1861, p. 296.— Copk, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1866 (p. 307).— Cope, 

 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mns. No. 1, p. 34 (1875).— Cope, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 

 32, p. 86 (1887).— Copk, Proc. U.S.Nat. Mas., xiv, 1892, p. 681 (1893).— 

 CouKS, Wheeler's Surv. W. 100 Mer., V, p. 611(1875).— Streets, Bull. IT. 

 S. Nat. Mus. No. 7, p. 40 (1877).— Yarrow, Bull. V. S. Nat. Mus. No. 24, 

 p. 82 (1883).— Carman, Rept. Batr., N. Am., ()i)hid., pp. 107, 169 (1883).— 

 CRAfiiN, Bull. Wiishbuiu Laborat., I, 1884, p. 8. 

 Figiirefi. Noue. 



Description.^ — Body rather stout, but less so than E.fulvius. Dorsal 

 scales large; plates of the head small, except the rostral, which is very 

 large and extends upward between the prefrontals [internasals]. Pre- 

 frontals [internasals] elongated laterally, more so than in E. tener. 

 Postfrontals [prefrontals] small, elongated laterally; vertical [frontal] 

 very small and narrow, subhexagonal, pointed anteriorly, elongated 

 and tapering posteriorly; it enters but slightly between the occipitals. 

 Occipitals [parietals] small, subtriangular, the anterior edge square, 



*From the Greek f/y^'f (eurus) broad; ^av&oi; (xaiithus), yellow. 



f The figure cited is a half-toue reproductiou of a colored drawing, luuce the 

 yellow interspaces are entirely too dark ; it should be carefully (•ouii>are(l with the 

 description. 



t Original descrijjtiou by Kennicott, Prof. I'liila. A<ad., IStiO, )>. 337. 



