680 KEPTIIiES — COLUBRIDiE. 



T Tropidonotus ordinatus, H0I3R00K, Putnam, Gitnther. 

 Sutainia ordinata, Baird and GiRAJRD. 

 t Eutainia radix, Baird and Girard. 



Body moderately strong ; general color above black or dark-brown, ■with a verte- 

 bral and two lateral stripes of yellow ; abdomen greenish- white, often with black spots 

 upon the sides ; under jaw and gular region yellowish- white to greenish-yellow ; verte- 

 bral and lateral bands begin at the posterior of the head and become insensibly lost 

 upon the tail ; occipital plates often with two small yellow spots ; ante-and postorbi- 

 tals, labials, and lower half of rostral yellowish-green ; nasals two ; upper labials seven 

 or eight, lower eight or nine ; inframaxillaries reaching to sixth lower labial ; dorsal 

 scales strongly carinated, in 19 rows ; gastrosteges, 137-170 ; urosteges, 55-80 lateral 

 stripe upon the second and third rows of scales ; vertebral band about the width of a 

 scale, though situated upon one and two half rows, color below the lateial stripe some- 

 what lighter th an above ; tail one-fourth of total length. Length, 2J feet ; head, 1^ inches ; 

 tail, 5f inches ; transverse diameter of head, | inch ; of neck, f Inch ; circumference of 

 body 3 inches. 



Habitat, Maine to Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Illinois, Oregen, 

 Minnesota, Michigan, Isle Royale in Lake Superior, and Lake Winnipeg. 



In the state I have specimens from Yellow Springs, Columbus, and 

 Lancaster, though it is common everywhere. Some of the Ohio specimens 

 show a much duller coloration than is ordinarily observed, probably owing 

 to their having been captured a short time prior to the period at which 

 they would shed their skin. A specimen kept by me in confinement 

 changed from such dull to the ordinary bright markings on casting off 

 its epidermis. I have observed a similar fact in regard to the Blue Racer, 

 Bascardum on constrictor, and also upon the Eutasnia saurita. 



Eutsenia drtalis is our commonest snake. They are clumsy and 

 sluggish animals, found in low, marshy, or comparatively dry places, take 

 to water readily, and when irritated, elevate their scales, giving the body 

 a roughened appearance, and when handled exude a very disagreeable 

 and offensive odor. After swallowing a frog, if one seize the animal by 

 the tail and pass the foot along its back, it can be made to disgorge, 

 and the frog escape in a living condition. 



They are popularly believed to swallow their young to shield the latter 

 from danger ; in fact unscientific observers report having cut them open 

 and found the little ones within, a fact which can be readily accounted 

 for when it is remembered that this genus brings forth its young alive, 

 and the parties observing undoubtedly saw them in the ovaries rather 

 than in the stomach. Possibly a similar mode of reproduction obtains in 

 other species reported to swallow their young ; or the fact that some 

 snakes prey upon others may explain the origin of such reports. 



The Garter Snake takes to water quite readily, and retires to winter 

 quarters in October, and issues forth again the following spring, in May. 



