102 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
Range: The United States east of the Rocky Mountains; 
Canada. 
Local distribution: Common in Rockland, Dutchess and 
adjoining counties. 
With the exception of one other species, the Black Snake, 
Bascanion constrictor (Fig. 8), attains the largest dimensions of 
Binck any of the local serpents. Above and beneath, with the 
Snake. exception of the chin and throat, this reptile is a uni- 
form black, the smooth scales imparting to the creature’s back 
a luster similar to that of a gun-barrel. The chin and throat are 
milky white. 
Young specimens show a remarkable variation from the 
adult snake. Like all the snakes described thus far, the Black 
Snake is an egg-laying species (oviparous). As is the case with 
the majority of the oviparous snakes, the eggs are left by the 
parent to be hatched by the heat of the sun or of decomposing 
vegetation. At the time of hatching, the young Black Snake 
belies its name. The body is pale gray with a series of brownish 
blotches down the back; the head and sides are irregularly 
spotted with black. At this stage it closely resembles the 
Milk Snake, but may be distinguished therefrom by the tendency 
of the blotches on the back to become very narrow as they ap- 
proach the tail and to disappear almost altogether on that 
appendage. When a vear old, the body color has become very 
dark, but close inspection will reveal the dorsal blotches. As 
age progresses the body color becomes darker until it assumes 
the intense black of the adult. 
Extremely agile and feeding upon small rodents, birds, frogs 
and other snakes, the Black Snake is not a constrictor as its 
technical name implies, nor is it nearly so courageous as is 
generally supposed. When surprised, this reptile will invariably 
take to flight if this be possible, and few serpents can show the 
speed of this black meteor as it darts away, to stop only when 
apparent safety is attained. When cornered and escape is cut 
off, this snake will fight bravely, but the slightest opening is 
instantly taken advantage of by a dash for cover. The needle- 
like teeth can produce nothing but the most superficial wounds, 
yet this serpent is quite generally dreaded. Without doubt the 
