Meri tLeS OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK CITY 107 
Snake are the following: 1. The stripes on the sides are situated 
on the third and fourth rows of scales from the plates of the 
crawling surface; with the Garter Snake the lateral stripe is 
situated on the second and third rows of scales. 2. The under- 
side is immaculate, while the abdomen of the Garter Snake shows 
a row of small black spots on each side. 3. The Ribbon Snake is, 
in proportion, considerably more slender than the other species. 
The active little Ribbon Snake frequents damp meadows and 
woods. It seldom exceeds three feet in length. Its food consists 
FIG. 13. GARTER SNAKE 
of small fishes, tadpoles and frogs. The species is viviparous, 
but the number of young is small, seldom amounting to a dozen. 
Range: Southeastern Canada and the United States east of 
the Rocky Mountains. 
Local distribution: General, but not common. 
The Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis (Fig. 13), is the most 
common of our local serpents. The general color above is dark- 
brown or black, with three yellowish stripes running Garter 
lengthwise; beneath, the color is greenish yellow. Snake: 
The skin along the sides when distended shows numerous white 
