686 REPTILES — COLUBRID^. 



nent ridge or keel above ; small infraorbitals, aiove the labials, ooniinuous with the ante- 

 orbitals in Jront and postorbitals behind ; nasals two ; lorals one or two ; prefrontals enclos- 

 ing an azygos plate with or without other small plates along side ; two posterior maxillarg 

 teeth much ike longest ; dorsal scales in 33 to 27 rows, oarinated ; gastrosteges 125-150 ; nro- 

 steges 30-58 ; post-abdominal soutella, bifid. 

 AzygoB and frontals separated by small plates, a. 



Azygos and frontals contiguous. H. platyrhinus. 



a. Interfrontal region with from 4-8 small plates ; extralimital, . . H. SIMUS. 

 a. Interfrontal region with from 11-15 small plates ; extralimital. . H. NASICUS. 



Hbtekodon platyrhinus Latreille. 



Hog^-nose Snake or Spreading' Adder. 



Coluber heterodon, Daddin, Say, Harlan. 



Seterodon platyrhinus, Latreille, Holbrook, Storbr, Klrtland, DbKay, Dumbril and 



BiBRON, GUNTHER, COPK. 



Seterodon annulatus, Tkoost. 



Heterodon platyrhinos, cognatus, niger, et atmodes, Baird and Girard. 



General color light-brown above, with three series of dark blotches varying from 

 quadrate to circular, and becoming half rings upon the tail, alternating with light 

 yellow ; 8 black band crossing the anterior part of the vertical and superciliary plates 

 and posterior half of the postfrontals, and continuing through the eye to the angle of 

 the mouth ; upper part of the neck and back with the scales between the black spots 

 brown centrally and surrounded with orange-yellow, as can be seen by stretching the 

 skin ; under part of tail varying from yellow to flesh-red ; abdomen slate color, becoming 

 greenish-yellow under the neck ; infram axillary region greenish- white ; vertical and 

 superciliary crossed by a greenish band ; upper labials yellow, eight in number, lower 

 nine ; vertical pentagonal, cuneiform, broadest in front, and longer than commissural 

 line of occipitals ; snperciliaiies broad ; azygos elongated, acute behind, contiguous 

 with the prefrontals and postfrontals, reaching to about the middle of the commissural 

 line of the latter ; inframaxillaries extending to fourth lower labial ; dorsal scales in 25, 

 rarely ^3, rows ; gastrosteges 125-149 ; nrosteges 46-58. Length, 2f feet ; head, If inches ; 

 tail, 7 inches ; transverse diameter of head, li inches ; of neck, 1 inch ; circumference 

 of body, 3i inches. 



Habitat, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vir- 

 ginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Illinois, 

 Ohio, Michigan, and " California." 



The Hog-nose Snake is occasionally found in the northeastern part of 

 State, and in the Scioto Valley. It is usually met with in sandy 

 soils, and, it is said, also in low, wet meadows. Its breeding has been ob- 

 served in Georgia in April, but probably is later in our more northern 

 climate. Htterodon platyrhinus rejoices in a multitude of common 

 names, sueh as Spreading, Deaf, and Blowing Adder, Flat-head, Hog-and 

 Buckwheat-nose Snake, Blauser, Blowing, and Sand Viper, etc. 



Considerable discussion has been going on lately in the Science News* 



*Vol. I, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4. 



