SNAKES. 69 



ner of a spreading viper. The row of brown dots 

 bordering the pale band along the back 

 then became much more prominent than 

 they were when the body resumed its 

 normal shape. 



Most snakes have a head larger than, 

 and distinct from, the body, but there 

 are two occurring in Indiana which have 

 the head indistinct, it being at the base 

 of the same width as the body whence 

 it tapers gradually to a dull point. The 

 more common of the two is the ground 

 snake, Carphophiops amoenus. (Say). 



Twelve inches is its max- 

 The Ground or imum length and on - ac . 

 Worm Snake. 



count of the small size 



and the tapering head it is often called 

 the "worm snake." In color it is a 

 glossy chestnut-brown above 

 and red or pinkish below, 

 while the scales are smooth 

 and in 13 rows. It lives, for 

 the most part, coiled up beside 

 or beneath rotten logs, among 

 dead leaves, and about the 

 roots of trees. In such places 

 it readily makes its way, forc- 

 ing its sharp muzzle into nar- 

 row crevices with much mus- 

 cular strength. Such surround- 

 ings also harmonize with its 



i . , Fig. 18 Ground or Worm 



colors, and crickets and other snake. 



