REPTILES. 113 



1839, 302; Miles, 1861, p. 233), Auii Arbor (Smith, 1879, i). (3), 

 Eaton County (Clark, 1902, p. 194), Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo and 

 Olivet, and Antrim, Barry, Montcalm, Kent, Ottawa and A^an Buren 

 Counties (Clark, 1905, p. 110), Douglas Lake, Cheboygan County 

 (Kuthven, 1911, 115), Oakland County (Hankinson, 1908, p. 236), 

 Stony Island and the sand region of Huron County (Ruthven, 

 1911a, 267-268), Cass County (Thomi)son, 1911, 107). The writer 

 has examined specimens from the following localities : Ann Arbor, 

 Washtenaw County; Brighton, Livingston County; Jackson, Jack- 

 son County; l*ontiac and Walnut Lake, Oakland (Jounty; Shelby, 

 Oceana Count}'; Charity Island, Saginaw Bay, Stony Island and 

 the sand region of Huron County, Douglas Lake, Cheboygan 

 Countv, Alma, Gratiot Countv, Osceola Countv, Cass Countv. 



THAMNOPHIS SAUKITUS (Linnaeus). 



RIBBOX SNAKE. 



(PI. VI.) 



Coluder saurita, Sager, 1839, 302. 



Eutaenia saurltns, Miles, 1861, 233. Notestein, 1905, 114. Smith, 



1879,6. 

 Thamnotphh saurita, Clark, 1902, 194; 1905, 109. Ruthven, 1906, 



112; 1908, 112-119; 1911a, 269. 

 ThamnopJiis faireiji, Kirsch, 1895, 333. 



Description: A slender, long-tailed snake, attaining a length of 

 two to two and one-half feet. Head small, distinct from neck, 

 rather high on the sides, slightly concave in preocular region. 

 Cephalic plates normal; two nasals; one loreal. Nostrils lateral, 

 between nasals. 



Dorsal scale rows 19-17. Supralabials usually 7, occasionally 6 

 or 8; infralabials 10, occasionally 9 or 11. Oculars 1-3, occasion- 

 ally 1-2 ; temporals 1 in the first row, and 2 in the second. Yentrals 

 157-169; subcaudals 87-112. Anal single. 



The ground color above is usually chocolate brown, varying from 

 light olive-brown to black. There are three light yellowish stripes 

 — a dorsal (cm the median and halves of adjacent rows) and two 

 laterals (on the third and fourth rows) — all three of which are 

 usually brightly colored, the dorsal generally tinged Avith orange, 

 the laterals with green. The lateral black spots generally found on 

 the skin in the garter snakes are seldom distinct, but are not always 

 entirely fused. The ground color of the head is like that of the 

 dorsal surface. There is usually a small pair of bright yellow spots 

 15 • 



