1894 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 329 



The bites of harmless suakes may become dangerous from several 

 reasons : (1) Common blood poisoning' that can happen with any wound; 

 (2) poisoning- with the poison from the skin of toads, in cases of bite 

 by species feeding on these animals, as 1 often have observed that it is 

 possible for some of the secretions from thejioison glands in the skin of 

 the toad to remain in the mouth of the snake among the teeth, especially 

 the larger j)Osterior maxillary teeth which inflict the wound; (3) fear 

 that the snake is j)oisonous and consequent self-suggestion. 



A large specimen of the black spreading adder Heterodon platyrhinos 

 niger (Daudin) that I received in Orlando, Orange County, from Mr. L. 

 Eobinson, did not act quite like the gray specimens of the same species. 

 It flattened the head and the neck, but not the body, and made itself 

 very thick. The gray ones used to keep the head down to the ground 

 during their contortions, but this one raised the head, moved it forward 

 and backward, hissing very loudly but without biting. The hissing 

 sound was produced at the time of expiration; at the time of inspira- 

 tion there was a weak snoring sound. 



THAMNOPHIS SIKTALIS (L i n n a- u s). 



This beautiful snake called "• Grass snake,'' or sometimes " Garter 

 snake,'' is quite common in wet places in south Florida, where I 

 have obtained several specimens from di&erent places in Hillsboro, 

 Orange, and Osceola counties. They vary in color, some being more 

 brown, others more green or bluish green; in some the spots are more 

 distinct, in others the stripes, but in all my grown specimens stripes as 

 well as spots are conspicuous, and all belong to the typical form. 

 A young specimen caught at Lake Eola, Orange County, has no stripes, 

 but two rows of square spots on each side, and is thus similar to Tham- 

 nopliis sirtalis ordinata (LinnaHis).* 



The grass snake is ill-tempered and even a small one will bite fero- 

 ciously. 



A big female of this species, kept in captivity by a taxidermist, one 

 night gave birth to about 40 young ones that were scattered all over 

 the floor when the owner entered the store in the morning. 



THAMNOPHIS SACKENII, Keiinicott. 



This species is said to be cha.racteristic for Florida. I obtained 3 

 specimens at Oviedo, Orlando, and Apopka, in Orange County. All 

 were caught in the grass in wet j>laces. A specimen in the Upsala 

 Museum, collected by Capt. C. Eckman, at Savannah, Ga., has 8 labi- 

 als on one side, but 7 on the other, and another specimen from the 

 same place has only 7 on each side. They are olive green but approach 

 Th. saurita so much that I hardly think Th. S(icl:enii can be maintained 

 except as a southern variety. 



* Tropidonotus ordinattis, Holbkook, North Americau Herpetology, 2 ed., w . pi. xii. 



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