'^i ■ 



26 BULLETIN ;il, rMTIll) STATHS NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



MiKaunminlfi of Xo. 'J897. 



Total l..n«tl. "-if 



Li'iiyth li> c'liil <)1' vent -"'^ 



Loii^jtli to opiKisilc j^roiii. '-'~^ 



L('ii;;tli to ojipo^ilc axilla ""•' 



Length to oiipositc aiitciioi' lirancliia "•'•> 



Length to opposite eye '"•' 



Wiillhofheadat eyes "^i"' 



Width ofliead lietweeii eyes "-'•! 



Greatest widlli ofliead •"<> 



Length ot'anteii.)!- I i nil is "Ill 



Length of )iosteiior linilis ''I-' 



iK'ptli of tail at middle ":>•'' 



The ground coloi' is ii lio]it cliocoliito brown, wliidi is .soinctiint's 

 (iiio'od witii piiiic, and which i.s nsiially rcndorcd liyiitcr in tint It.v ;iii 

 iiilinitiido ol' wliitis'i s[K'('ks and small spots, which ivduce llu' j^iitiii.d 

 to a iiiinute reticulate jiattern. On this j>round are distributed several 

 rows of spots ofMark l)rowii, which are (piineuncially arranged, not very 

 close together, in from four to eight or nine iricgiilar longitudinal rows. 

 These are w:tiiting on the belly, but are continued on the tail. The in- 

 ferior surfaces are dirty white, clouded with the color of the hack, but 

 they are sometimes colored like the l)ack, iiielnding the dark spots. 

 The soles and judms are yellowish. A dark brown band passes along 

 the canthus roslrtdis through ih(> eye, ;ind extends some distance pos- 

 terior to it, Jii young s|)('cimeiis this band extends to the end of llie 

 tail, involving the greater part of the sides. It is bordered above by an 

 ochreous yellow band, which also extends from tlie end of (ho muzzle to 

 the end of the tail. The median line of (lie head and back is dark 

 brown, this color ceasing above (he vent. 



An entirely :Jack variety litis been sent me by J)r. ,T. (1. Carnier of 

 Luckiiow, Ontario, which he hits obtained from the Maitlandiind laick- 

 now Jlivers. The only variation in the color consists of two obscure 

 baud-like aggregates of yellowish brown specks tilong the inferior and 

 suiierior borders of the muscular part of the tail. 



Hahih.—Uv. Samuel Kneeland, of IJoston, gives an aceoniit of the 

 habits of (wo iiidividtiiils of this species which he kept several moiidis 

 in coiiliiiemeut. They were very hardy, having been frozen tind thawed 

 several tim,.s during the winter. They were (piite rapacious, eating 

 worms and (Islies. They Mere niost active at night, t.ud <l,Ming (he .lav 

 '•votd.'d tl.c light. They cleaned their branchiu. by stroking (h,.m witii 

 JiH'.r aiKetior feet. The librilhe Mere ttlternately expanded tmd con- 

 tractcd by pmssuie of blood and its absence. 



As may l»e seen from the following list, this species ranges through- 



o.. H. tr iHitanes of (he (Ireat l.kes and the Aiississippi, as M-elfas 



' ." s that How tnto tiie (Jiilf of Mexico and (he Atlantic Ocean, a.s 



. ..stieraH.ve, Xorti.^ '"— ' ^<'< ' "'--l 



in either the Ihiridaa or! he Texan .list rids, 



