XXVII. The Snakes of the Chautauqua Region 



1. Ground Snake. Back, chestnut-brown; belly, salmon-red; harm- 



less. 



2. Red-Bellied Snake. Back, chestnut-brown ; belly, salmon-red ; three 



pale blotches on head ; pale vertebral band ; harmless. 



3. Riband Snake. Chocolate with three yellow stripes; belly, light 



brown ; about streams and swamps ; harmless. 



4. Common Garter Snake. Olive-brown; small dark spots along the 



sides ; sides and belly greenish ; many variations in color pattern ; 

 our commonest snake ; harmless. 



5. Water Snake. Brownish, back and sides with large, square, dark 



blotches ; belly with brown blotches ; abundant along streams and 

 swamps, and along the lake shore; unpleasant and ill-tempered, 

 but harmless. 



6. Pilot Snake. Shining black; belly, slaty-black; one of our largest 



snakes; often climbing trees; harmless. 



7. Fox Snake. Light brown, with square, chocolate patches; harm- 



less. 



8. Grass Snake. Deep green all over; a beautiful snake; harmless. 



9. Black Snake, "Blue Racer." Back shining pitch black; greenish 



below chin and throat white; common; harmless. 



10. Ring-Necked Snake. Blue-black above; orange beneath; con- 



spicuous yellow ring around neck; harmless. 



11. Spreading Adder. Brownish or reddish, with dark blotches on 



back ; variable in color pattern ; when angry it lowers and flattens 

 the head, hissing and threatening; this is pure "bluff," as the 

 snake is perfectly harmless. 



12. Copperhead or Cotton-Mouth. Hazel-brown; top of head, copper- 



red ; belly, yellowish ; in swamps and damp places ; poisonous and 

 dangerous. This and the next are the only two poisonous snakes 

 in northeastern United States, and these two are rare in most 

 regions. 



13. Common Rattlesnake. Yellowish-brown, with dark spots; rattle 



on end of tail; poisonous; once common, but now nearly ex- 

 terminated in settled regions. 



