JONES ON REPTILIA OF KOVA SCOTlAo 119 



captured by some men working at a drain in his grounds on the 7th 

 September, I860, was marked with a bright orange band round 

 the neck, and the abdomen bright lemon colour. From it I made 

 the following description : — 



Length, 11 J inches. Extreme breadth of head at broadBst part across 

 base of large occipital plates, 2^1ines. Breadth of body 2^1ines at a 

 distance of 3in.41ines from frontal extreme, which is not exceeded at 

 any other part. Head, flat. Breadth of yellow collar f of a line. Tail 

 2in.7^1ines. 



Colour — Head, above, very dark steel blue ; nasal scales brownish. 

 Irides, above, reddish. Immediately behind the bead a coUar of orange 

 yellow, margined with black, separates the head from the body. Upper 

 jaw edged with yellow ; deeper posteriorly. Upper parts, olive brown, fad- 

 ing into light steel blue at the sides. Beneath, bright yellow from neck to 

 base of horny tip of tail. Chin and throat very light yellow. On either 

 side of the yellow belly run a series of dark spots at the posterior angle 

 of each abdominal plate,fvery obscure and almost absent for a space of 3^ 

 lines from the collar. Under the lens the dorsal scales appear mottled 

 and the occipital plates of pearly lustre. Abdominal plates 156. 



This snake is by no means common about Halifax, and may be 

 considered our rarest snake. 



Coluber vernalis — De Kay Green Snake. 



C vernalis — Hall, N. Am. Herpet. iii., pi. 17. 

 C cymuus — Shaw, ZooL, p. 506. 



Chlorosoma vernalis — Baird & Girard, Cat. N. Am. 

 Serpents, p. 108. 

 Tliis delicate little snake is very common about the grass fields 

 and cultivated spots. Specimens vary in colour, some being of a 

 much lighter green than others. It is very agile in its movements, 

 ghding through the grass when disturbed, ■with rapidity. Accord- 

 ing to Baird this snake is northern in its distribution, extending from 

 Mame to Wisconsin in the United States, but no foi'ther south 

 than Virginia on the Atlantic coast. I have observed it about as 

 early as the 6th May. Cats appear to delight to catch these 

 ■snakes as they run through the grass. 



Dr. Gunther in his British Museum Catalogue of Colubrine 

 Snakes, appears to object to this species bemg included in the genus 

 Chlorosoma, as Baird & Girard have done ; for he states that that 

 genus was established by Wagler for Philodryas viridissimus, and 

 that the snakes differ too much from one another. 



