174 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 
Lower labials 9, fifth largest. A single large temporal. Scales 
on back strongly keeled, dorsal in 19 transverse rows, and 276 
counted down middle of back from parietal plates to tip of tail. 
Gastrosteges 149 to vent. Urosteges double. Tail about 3 in 
length of body, which is elongately slender, and tapering gradu- 
ally in a long slender tip. Color in alcohol deep chocolate-brown 
on upper surface of body, and longitudinally with 3 well-defined 
creamy lines or narrow bands down back. Median beginning in 
parietal angle becomes obsolete on tail posteriorly. Lateral be- 
comes slaty on tail and also fades out posteriorly. Below it 
along side also an annectant chocolate-brown narrow area like 
general color of back, though fading out below. Under surface 
of head, including all of labials, and body, varying pale or dilute 
greenish to brown. ‘This color extends all way to tip of tail. 
Iris pale slaty. Length 31 inches. Swartzwood Lake, Warren 
County. October, 1905. Samuel N. Rhoads. 
Color in life of an adult generally beautiful warm brown 
above with 3 longitudinal streaks of buff down back. Pale lateral 
sreaks bounded below with a line of brown, though not so dark as 
back, and interspersed with small dusky spots. Below this dark 
lateral streak a pale terra-cotta tint extending its whole length, 
and inclining to creamy-white of lower surface. Side of head 
pinkish. Iris rich warm brown. A very striking short whitish 
preocular plate. Top of head plain brown, a little paler than back, 
and median buff streak beginning suddenly at occiput. Brown of 
head becoming pale on snout. Lower surface of head creamy- 
white. Line of demarcation of colors of head abrupt, owing to 
brown becoming dusky towards middle of side. ‘Taken in a small 
fresh rain-pool at the eldge of the salt marsh, Palermo, Cape 
May County. April 15th, 1906. G. Z. Hartman, T. D. Keim 
and H. W. Fowler. . 
Found frequently about streams, but apparently much less — 
abundant than its close relative, the garter snake. It is more 
slender than the garter snake and with the lateral stripe on the 
third and fourth rows of scales, while in the latter it is on the 
second and third. It is very gentle and is more aquatic than the 
garter snake, easily swimming about small streams. It is largely 
insectivorus. Examples are said to attain 3 feet in length, though 
