178 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



being recorded from Ontario, Michigan, Minnesota, Indi- 

 ana, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. I have 

 never found one south of the Missouri River. Missouri 

 localities: — Dardenne Prairie in St. Charles County. 



Habits. — The Fox Snake is a ground snake and is quite 

 rare. The only living specimen I ever captured I ob- 

 tained April 22, 1900, at Elm Point, St. Charles Co. That 

 same day I picked up two dead ones about two miles from 

 there. 



64. Elaphe guttatus Linnaeus. Spotted Coluber. 

 Spotted Racer. Corn Snake. Red Chicken Snake. 

 Mouse Snake. 



Colul)er guttatus, Scotophis guttatus, Elaphis guttatus, Elaphis ruhri- 

 ceps, Coluber pantherinus, Coluber caroUnianus, Coluber macula- 

 tus, Coluber floridanus, La Tachett^e. 

 Description. — Rostral broader than deep, just visible from above. In- 

 ternasals broader than long, much shorter than the prefrontals. Fron- 

 tal once and a half to once and two-thirds as long as broad, as long 

 as its distance from the end of the rostral, shorter than the parietals, 

 which are rather narrow. Nasals two, nostril in the suture between 

 them. Loral longer than deep, one pre- and two post-oculars. Tempo- 

 rals two or 3-3. Bight upper labials, fourth and fifth entering the eye, sev- 

 enth the largest. Eleven lower labials, sixth the largest. Four or 

 five lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields, which 

 are as long or a little longer than the posterior. Head elongate, body 

 elongate. Tail shorter than in any of the genus, except the preceding 

 one. Dorsal rows 25, 27, or 29, faintly keeled, sometimes smooth. Ven- 

 trals 200-239, obtusely angulate laterally. Anal divided. Subcaudals 

 60-88. 



Color. — Color above yellowish or pale brown, with a dorsal series of 

 large red, black-edged blotches, and an alternating lateral series of 

 smaller spots. A dark curved band from eye to eye across the frontal, 

 continued behind the eye to the angle of the mouth. A, U or O shaped 

 marking from the frontal shield to the nape. Labials usually with 

 black sutures or spots. Belly yellowish with large black square blotches. 

 Under the tail a whitish streak along the middle of the subcaudals. 



Size. — Total length 1040 mm.; tail 160 mm. 



Habitat, — The Spotted Racer ranges over the southern 

 half of the eastern United States to the Mississippi River, 

 and west to Arkansas and Missouri. 



