690 EBPTILBS — COLUBEID^. 



GeneralcoUr grayish white; a vertebral series of transversely ellipitical, brown margined! 

 ■with black blotches extends from the neck to the tail, each blotch covering from four 

 to five scales in length and fifteen to twenty in width ; lateral spots of the same color in. 

 two rows on each side, each spot from three to four scales in width and two to three in 

 length, with smaller spots between ; ventral spots quadrangular on one, two, and some- 

 times three soutellsB, longest transTcrsely ; the white upon the back arranged somewhatin 

 transverse bands about one and a half to two scales in width ; head with two 

 elliptical blotches reaching from the occipitals backwards, that on the left side the 

 larger, causing the white or creamy-white on the neck above to appear as a loagitudinal 

 band between the blotches, and this band bifurcates just behind the occipitals ; a dingy 

 white spot on the anterior of the occipitals surrounded by a sub quadrangnlar spot of 

 black or brown ; a transverse dark band crossing the vertical and postfrontals just in 

 front of the eye ; a longitudinal brown blotch running from the eye backward and 

 forward ; eyes moderate ; pupils black ; iridee red ; vertical plate nearly an equilateral 

 triangle ; occipitals rather large, truncate behind ; upper labials, 7, lower, 8 ; infra- 

 maxillaries reaching to posterior end of fifth lower labial ; dorsal scales in 21 rows ; gaa- 

 trosteges, 200-SlO; nrosteges, 48-55, Length, 3^ feet; head, l-J inches; tail, 5f inches; 

 transverse diameter of head, f inch ; of neck, f inch ; circumference of body 3i inches. 



Habitat, Canada, Maine, Massachusetts, Ehode Island, i'iew York, Pennsylvania,. 

 Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. 



Common in all parts of the State. 



The Museum of Michigan University contains a double-headed 0. 

 triangulua, of which the remainder of the body appears to be perfectly 

 normal. Another case is recorded by Prof. Wyman* of a Tropidonitus 

 sipedon with two heads and two tails, and a similar case as well as an in- 

 stance of a five legged frog is reported by Mr. Kingsley.f Mr. Ryder f 

 also calls attention to a specimen of Rana palustris with five limbs or 

 rather an additional pair of hind legs fused together. This limb had six 

 toes, and its digital formula might be written 5, 4, 3, 3, 4, 5, and the outer 

 or dark colors prevailed just as they should in case of two limbs united. 

 Gates of monstrosities among serpents have been observed by various 

 parties from the time of Aristotle and Redi to the piesent, and they, as 

 well- as the occurrence of monsters in general, may be due to shock. 



The Milk Snake called also Chicken Snake, Thunder and Lightning 

 Snake, Chequered or Spotted Adder, is found in dry woods and frequently 

 also in outhouses and dairies, which it is said to visit in order to get at 

 the milk. It is a perfectly harmless animal, climbs readily and glides 

 with grace and rapidity over smooth places. 



Mr. C. Hart Merriam J on the authority of Mr John M. Howey, of 

 Canandaigua, N. Y., gives an instance of an Ophibolvs (probably this- 



*Proo. Bost. Soc Nat. Hist., vol. ix, p. 183. 

 + Am. Naturalist, vol. xii, p 594-751. 

 tSoienoe News, Dec, 15, 1878, p. 69. 



