FAMILY COLUBERID.E. 37 



skin is distended ; towards the tail, however, the scales are entirely black. Beneath, the 

 anterior part of the abdomen is white, clouded with brown, and the posterior part of the tail 

 entirely slate color. 



Abdominal plates, 235 - 240. 



Caudal plates, 60- 72. 



Length, 60-0-72-0. 



I am indebted to my friend Dr. Holbrook for the above description of this large species, 

 which is found in the Highlands, but which I have never met with. It is manifestly the 

 snake which has been frequently described to me, of great length and prodigious velocity, and 

 to which they gave the name of Racer and Pilot. As these names are also frequently applied 

 to the Black Snake, I had supposed that species to have been intended by their descriptions. 



The Pilot Black-snake appears to select in preference elevated rocky situations, for it is 

 found along the Allegany mountains as far south as Virginia. It has hitherto been confounded 

 with the ordinary Black Snake, but is at once distinguished from that species by the carinated 

 scales. 



THE CHAIN SNAKE. 



Coluber getulus. 

 plate x. fig. 21 (cabinet of the lyceum.) 



Coluber getulus. LiN. Syst. Nat. p. 382. 



Chain Snake. Catesby, Carolina, pi. 52. 



La Couleuvre chaine. Daudin, Hist. Rept. Vol. 6, p. 314, pi. 77, fig. 1. 



C. getulus. Say, Am. Jour. Vol. 1, p. 261. Harlan, Med. & Phys. p. 122. 



Characteristics. Black. Thirty to forty narrow yellowish hnes over the body and tail. Tail 

 one-eighth. Length four to six feet. 



Description. Body long and slender. Head small, and covered with nine plates exclusive 

 of the rostral (see figure). The occipital plates very large ; the central or vertical plate three- 

 sided, or sub-pentagonal ; supra-orbital slightly enlarged behind ; post-orbital small, two in 

 number ; ante-orbital plates two, of which the anterior is smallest, and apphed against the 

 posterior nasal ; anterior nasal plate excavated behind ; rostral plate deeply notched beneath. 

 Marginal plates of the upper jaw, seven on each side ; on the lower jaw, nine on each side. 

 Two pair of oblong gular plates. Teeth small, subequal, curved backward. Mouth wide. 

 Eyes moderate. Scales oblong, hexagonal, smooth. Tail about one-eighth of the total length, 

 with uniform bifid plates ; apex corneous. 



Color. Above varying from rufous brown to black. Plates of the head, chocolate-color, 

 with abbreviated dashes of yellow or whitish. Marginal plates of the jaw, dull, or yellowish 

 white, bordered with dark brown. About an inch apart over the back are many narrow yel- 

 lowish bands, which unite with each other on the sides near the abdominal plates ; these bands. 



