RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



37 



feet. In this ease eveiy island in the bay 

 would disappear, all of the islands being- 

 merged with the main land. Of the bay, j 

 onl}' a small river would remain, running 

 from northeast to southwest. This river 

 would be general!}- half a mile wide, and in- 

 no place more than two miles wide. If the 

 continent were raised one hundred feet, all 

 that would be left of Narragansett Bay 

 would be a little patch of water, which 

 would be out some distance in the present 

 Atlantic. This bay that would remain 

 would be very shallow, and about nine 

 miles long and seven miles wide. Long 

 Island Sound would become a small bay, 

 Block Island and Long Island would be 

 one, but Block Island and Martha's Vine- 

 yard would not be one. All the islands in 

 this locality would become parts of the 

 main land. Buzzard's Bay would disap- 

 pear. If the continent were raised 200 

 feet, all that would be left of Long Island 

 Sound would be two little lakes, all the 

 shoals fifty-five miles southeast of Nan- 

 tucket would become part of the dr\- land, 

 and Cape Cod would become extended 

 north to the latitude of Boston. All the 

 water thirty-four miles south of Beaver 

 Tail would disappear. Narragansett Bay 

 would be a deep-seated feature of the 

 earth's surface, many miles south of its 

 present location. The lecturer then went 

 on and explained in detail the wearing 

 awa}' of the coast to its present form, the 

 glacial theor}', with which scientists are fa- 

 miliar, and the new theory of the school of 

 younger scientists, who maintained that 

 the earth is rigid, and that the changes on 

 its surface have been caused by the rise and 

 fall of the water. The theor}- is propounded 

 to account for the change of level that at 

 one pole or the other, great accumulations 

 of ice changed the centre of the earth's 

 gravity, which drew towards themselves the 

 water, and the water being thus drawn 

 towards the ice, changed the level. There 

 is no question that the unglaciated pole 

 would have its water lowered. To the lec- 

 turer this theory commended itself in pref- 

 erence to the one that has previously pre- 

 vailed. In the course of his remarks the 

 lecturer said that Narragansett Ba}' was 

 not caused by glacial action. It runs back 

 farther than that, although it was doubtless 

 in some respects modified b}- such action. 



Reptiles and BatracMans of Rhode Island. 



BY HERMON C. BUMPUS. 



Number VIII. 



3. Ophihol as doUatus var. triangxdus Copk. 

 The Milk Snake, or Chequered Adder, was 

 undoubtedly at one time quite abundant, 

 though its fearlessness in approaching cel- 

 lars and other frequented places while in 

 search of mice has so often resulted in ils 

 death that the species is now becoming 

 quite rare. It is a most beautiful animal, 

 of a milk-color above and ornamented with 

 a dorsal row of brown blotches and two 

 lateral rows of spots of a similar color. 

 The abdomen is silvery-white, tessellated 

 with black. The general outline of the 

 body is slender, the reptile sometimes 

 reaches the length of four feet. 



4. Diadophis punctatus Baird and 

 GiRARD {Coluber p)unctatus Linne). This 

 bright-colored little fellow, the Ring-necked 

 Snake, is quite abundant in certain portions 

 of the State, and is at once distinguished l)y 

 its white collar and black tie, dark green 

 back and bright orange-yellow front, the 

 ventral scutes often bearing one or more 

 dots. In its habits the Ring-Snake is a 

 most timid animal, spending much of its 

 time hid beneath the bark of old logs or 

 under stones. From its beautiful coloring 

 and pleasing habits this form is often m;ide 

 a pet of, and soon becomes accustomed to 

 its new surroundings. Its food consists of 

 grasshoppers and other insects, to capture 

 which it is often seen, especiall}' after 

 showers, some distance from its place of 

 concealment. 



5. CydojjJiis vernalis GvyiTKR. TheGrt-fn 

 Snake is a most gentle and harmless 

 ophidian, allowing itself to be handled in 

 the roughe.Nt way without offering the least 

 opposition. Specimens are often captured 

 and made pets of, living in confinement for 

 considerable periods of time. In nature 

 they are found in the moist meadow-lands, 

 where they are concealed b}^ their protective 

 color, and where the\- find an abundance of 

 insect life well suited for their food. The 

 Green Snake is not alone found on the 

 ground, however, but is an active climber, 

 and ma}- not infrequently' be seen entwined 

 among the branches of bushes and low 

 trees. 



