BATRACHIANS AND REPTILES OF OHIO. 130 
Natrix fasciata sipedon I,. As above, but blotches brownish and with 
a series of small blotches of brown alternating on the sides with the larger 
dorsal blotches. Below yellowish to ashy, each gastrostege, with a black 
quadrangular blotch. Body thick and heavy. Scales 23, sometimes 25. 
The common Water-snake is to be found in every stream of 
the State. It is very variable in color and markings, but cannot 
well be confused with any other snake. It is never found far 
from the water, and generally places itself so that it may, ata 
moment’s notice, glide into that element which affords it an effec- 
tive retreat. When handled it is very aggressive and strikes 
violently. While not poisonous, its bite is, to say the least, 
unpleasant, as the teeth are long and very sharp. Its food con- 
sists of fish, insects and toads. 
The members of this genus are all ovoviviparous, retaining 
the eggs in the body until hatched. The Water-snake is held by 
some to swallow its young when unduly pressed. ‘This is a mis- 
take, and the error may be due to the observer thinking that the 
unhatched young in the oviducts were in the alimentary canal. 
The Water-moccasin of the South is often confused with this 
species. [he poisonous snake has been reported from the Ohio 
River near Cincinnati, but no specimens exist and it is very prob- 
able that the supposed cases are large individuals of the present 
species. 
Specimens in the U. S. Nat. Mus., recorded by Cope from Poland, 
Columbus, Lima, Richland Co., and Maumee and Cuyahoga Rivers. In the 
Cin. Soc. Nat. His., by Dr. Lindahl at Put-in-Bay and Hamilton Co. 
Natrix fasciata erythrogaster Shaw. Head long, Uniform dark 
bluish-black above, growing paler on sides. Below copper-colored, with a 
series of punctations along sides of gastrosteges. Scales 25. Length 3% feet. 
The Red-bellied form of the Water-snake is limited in its 
range to the north-western part of the State. Among the islands 
of Lake Erie the writer has taken specimens. Thus at Put-in- 
Bay it is common, but s¢/edon is found along with it. This fact 
cast a doubt in the writer’s mind, but careful inspection of the 
specimens warrants such identification. Prof. H. Ll. Clark (’03) 
has made a statistical study of the species of Vafrzx occurirng in. 
Michigan, and to it the reader is referred for a better definition. 
of the several forms. 
Specimen in the O. S. U. Mus., collected by the author at Put-in-Bay. 
