The Water Snakes 



Brown above ; a pale stripe on back and a broad yellow band on 

 side, bordered with black stripes; abdomen yellow. 



GRAHAM'S WATER SNAKE, T. grahami. 

 Habitat. The Mississippi Valley. 



Olive; two black stripes on back; abdomen yellow, with two rows 

 of black spots. STRIPED WATER SNAKE, T. rigidus. 



Habitat. Pennsylvania to the Gulf. 



Light brown; four dark stripes on the back; abdomen yellow 

 in the middle, olive on the sides. 



CLARK'S WATER SNAKE, T. clarki. 

 Habitat. Louisiana and Texas. 



Grayish-brown, usually with lines of small black spots on the 

 sides; abdomen uniform yellow. 



WESTERN WATER SNAKE, T. Validus. 



Habitat. Extreme southwest; Mexico. 



II. Body transversely banded: 



a. Tail somewhat -flattened. 



Olive; small cross-bands on the back; smaller blotches on 

 sides. FLAT-TAILED WATER SNAKE, T. compressicaudus. 



Habitat. Florida. 



b. Tail round. 



Wide, dark cross-bands for the greater length of body, with 

 red or brown interspaces; abdomen white, 

 with red and black spots. 



BANDED WATER SNAKE, T. fasciatus. 



Habitat. Virg. to Fla. ; westward to Texas. 



Wide, dark cross-bands on forward portion of body, breaking 

 into blotches on latter portion; abdomen white, with red and 

 black spots. 



COMMON WATER SNAKE, T. fasciatus variety sipedon. 

 Habitat. Canada to North Carolina ; westward to Kansas. 

 Wide, dark blotches on the back, separated by lighter inter-spaces of 

 about one scale in width; similar, alternating blotches on the 

 sides, with wide interspaces; abdomen yellowish. 

 GREEN-BANDED WATER SNAKE, T. fasciatus variety transversus. 



Habitat. Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. 



Rusty: brown above; usually no bands, or these indistinct. 

 Abdomen immaculate vermilion. 

 RED-BELLIED WATER SNAKE, T. fasciatus variety erythrogaster. 



Habitat. Southeastern United States. 



Brown, with narrow black cross-bands, forming a diamond- 

 shaped pattern on back; abdomen yellowish. 



DIAMOND-BACKED WATER SNAKE, T. rhombifer. 

 Habitat. Mississippi Valley to Mexico. 



Dark green; narrow black cross-bands on back, and similar 

 bands, in alternation on sides; abdomen yellow. 



GREEN WATER SNAKE, T. Cydopium. 



Habitat. Mississippi Valley and Gulf States. 



(Most abundant in Florida). 



Rusty brown ; large square blotches of dark brown or black on the 

 back, and similar, smaller blotches on sides Abdomen yel- 

 lowish, blotched with brown. 



BROWN WATER SNAKE, T. taxispilotUS. 



Habitat. Maryland to the Gulf States. 



Detailed descriptions of these species are given herewith: 



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