FAMILY COLUBKRIDvE. 35 



FAMILY COLUBERIDJE. 



Serpents with no venomous fangs. No anal appendices. 



GENUS COLUBER. Linneus. 



Head with, large polygonal jdates. Body tvith rhomboidal, carinated or smooth scales. 

 Abdomen loith single broad transverse plates ; beneath the tail, double. Jaws ivith simple 

 teeth, uniform in size. Hybcrnate. Carnivorous. 



A very numerous genus, even witii all the dismemberments which have followed a more 

 critical examination of their characters. In this State we enumerate five species. 



THE BLACK SNAKE. 



Coluber constrictor, 

 plate x. fig. 20. — (.state collection.) 



Coliiher constTKtor. LiN. Cmel. 



Le Lien, BoNN. Ophiologie, p. 15. 



Le Coulcuvre hen. Daud. Hist, des Reptiles, Vol. 6. p. 40?. 



Cohtbcr coiiMnctor. H.\RLAN, Med. and Pliys, Researches, p. 112. 



The Common Black Snake. Storer, Mass. Report, p. 225. 



C. nnstnclor. Holbrook, N. Am. Herpelolosy, Vol. 3, p. 09, pi. 15. Kictland, Zool. Ohio. 



Characteristics. Black; slatc-colorcd beneath; chin and throat white. Scales smooth. 

 Abdominal plates 17.5 - 185 ; caudal, 85 - 90. Length 3-6 feet. 



Description. Head rather smaller than the body, which begins to taper from the vent. 

 Rostral plates convex, prominent ; tlie first subquadrate, smaller than the second, which are 

 irregularly five-sided, the central plate largest. Upper labial plates sixteen. Gular plates 

 five pair, the three anterior elongated. Eyes moderately vertical. Nostrils large, vertical, 

 placed between the first and second pair. Body covered with smooth rhomboidal scales ; 

 beneath, with broad entire plates ; beyond the vent, the caudal plates arc in pairs, occasionally 

 interrupted by an entire plate. Length of the tail, compared to the total length, is as one to 

 four nearly. 



Color. A uniform shining bluish black above ; margin of the jaws, chin and throat white. 

 Belly usually slate-colored, or bluish white. Young, spoUcd and speckled witii black and 

 white above. 



Abdominal plates, 180. 



Caudal plates, 88. 



Length, 3(i-0 - bSO. 



