552 HABITS OF A SMALL SNAKE IN CAPTIVITY, 



two wicle-moiitlied bottles together by a perforated cork : placing' in 

 one of the bottles a handful of damp grass, and a little water in the 

 other — the two resting habitually on their sides. The little snake 

 could thus travel at will from one to the other through the perforated 

 cork. 



My captive belonged to the common Canadian species known 

 familiarly as the "little brown snake/' originally regarded, and I 

 think correctly so, as a variety of coluber ordinatus. This species 

 has been referred, however, of late years, to Kuhl's genus Troindonotus, 

 under the name of T. DeJcayi. The genus Tropidonotus is made to 

 include the colubers which habitually resort to the water, and which 

 have two plates above the eye-orbit, in place of a single plate as in 

 the colubers proper. The aquatic tendency in snakes, I imagine, is 

 a very indefinite character, as there are probably few of these crea- 

 tures that do not take to the water more or less readily in pursuit of 

 prey. I have frequently seen both our little " grass snake, " Coluber 

 vernalis, and the small " ringed snake, " G. 2mnctatus, swimming freely 

 in streams and pools in the woods ; and some years ago, at the north- 

 ern extremity of Lake Coiichiching, I killed with a canoe-paddle a 

 ■young rattlesnake that was swimming boldly nearly half a mile from 

 the shore. The men at the Severn Mills to whom I shewed my 

 booty, and who had several large snakes nailed to one of the doors of 

 the mill, assured me that the i-attlesnakes there commonly took to 

 the water when pursued. Leaving, however, the question of generic 

 identity, I may mention that the " little brown snake " is disting\iished 

 more especially by the following characters : The colour above is ash- 

 brown, with a broad band of somewhat lighter tint running along the 

 dorsal ridge, and a row of small dark flecks or spots upon the sides. 

 On the ventral surface, the colour is very pale brown, and each large 

 ventral plate bears a minute black dot upon the sides. The head is 

 small, flattened horizontally, and protected above by ten plates, three 

 of which are almost black ; and a black band runs obliquely across 

 each side of the head, and another passes transversely across the neck. 

 The dorsal and lateral scales are strongly carinated. The ventral 

 scales below the anal orifice form a dou.ble row, as in all the Colubers, 

 and the tail tapers to a point of extreme fineness. Fang teeth are 

 altogether wanting. This species frequents the same haunts as the 

 beautiful little grass snake, G. vernalis, and much resembles it in 

 general form and size ; but the grass snake has smooth scales, and it 



