COLUBER GUTTATUS. 67 
body, 39 inches; length of tail, 7 inches; greatest circumference of body, 3 inches 
11 lines: total length, 47 inches 9 lines. ‘They sometimes grow to a greater size 
than this—I have seen one nearly six feet in length. 
Harirs. The Coluber guttatus is very commonly observed about the road side 
early in the morning or at the dusk of evening: unlike most snakes, concealing 
itself during the day. It is very gentle and familiar, frequenting the neighbour- 
hood of settlements, and at times entering houses; and is, according to Catesby, 
“a great robber of hen-roosts.” 
Grocrapnicat Disrrinution. At present I can only give North Carolina as the 
northern boundary of the Coluber guttatus; beyond this its place is supplied by 
the Coluber eximius of Dekay, which it much resembles. 
GeneraL Remarks. The Coluber guttatus seems to have been a great stum- 
bling-block to herpetologists, as may be seen by the great number of its 
synonymes. It is clearly described in the twelfth edition of the Systema Nature, 
and no mention is made of it in any of the previous editions. Linneus described 
it from a specimen furnished him by Dr. Garden, and at the same time refers to 
Plate Ix. of Catesby, though with doubt. What he did doubtingly, others have 
done boldly. Plate Ix. of Catesby is the Bead-snake, and not the Coluber 
guttatus of Linnzus; but his Plate ly. is the Corn-snake, and agrees with the 
Coluber guttatus in every respect. 
We next find this animal described by Lacépéde, under the name la Mouchetée; 
his deseription is good, and there can be no doubt of his meaning, for he refers 
to the Coluber guttatus of Linnweus; but he again errs in supposing the Bead- 
snake of Catesby to be identical with it. Lacépede again describes the same 
animal under the name Coluber maculatus, (la Tachetée,) from a specimen 
procured in Louisiana; the description of the colours agree perfectly well with 
the Coluber guttatus, but its abdominal plates are less numerous. Lacépéde 
