364 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



while not a single record lias been obtained from the southern tier 

 of counties adjacent to the Pennsylvania border. In view of th& 

 number of educational institutions and local scientilic societies in 

 ^New York state, it seems curious that so little attention has been 

 paid to this question. Data on the subject will be very acceptable 

 to the author, who will also be glad to identify specimens sent 

 to the state museum. Directions for collecting will be found in 

 another section of this bulletin (p. 407). 



Key to genera 



The following artificial key to the families and genera of the 

 sp'ecies of snakes occurring in the area discussed is based on 

 structural characters, often of slight systematic value, and follows- 

 closely the lines of the genei-ic key in Jordan ('99). 



COLUBEIDAE 

 A. No pit between eye and nostril; upper jaw with small teeth; neck not con- 

 stricted;"headmore or less elongate; top of head covere'd with plates; form, 

 in general, slender 

 a Dorsal scales carinated 

 1) Anal plate entire 



a) Scales in 19-31 rows... Eutaenia(p. 381> 



J) Scales in 27-31 rows... Pityophis (p. 373> 



3) Anal plate bifid 



a) Scales in 15-17 rows 



* Tail one third or more of total length . Oyclophis(p. 369> 

 ** Tail less than one third of total length . . S t o r e r i a (p. 380> 



b) Scales in 19-27 rows 



* Rostral recurved; scales in 25 rows .. Heterodon(p. 368)- 

 ** Rostral not recurved; gastrosteges less 



l-ban 170 Natrix(p. 376) 



*** Rostral not recurved; gastrosteges 



morethanl70 Coluber(p. 371> 



b Dorsal scales smooth 

 1) Anal plate entire 



a) Head flattened Osceola (p. 374> 



J) Head conical Ophibolus(p. 375) 



3) Anal plate bifid 



a) Scales in 17 rows Zameuis (p. 370) 



b) Scales in 13 rows; head not distinct. . Carphophiops (p. 366V 



e) Scales in 15 rows; superior labials 8 Diadophis (p. 367> 



d) Scales in 15 rows; superior labials 7. . ,^ Li o p el t i s (p. 369> 



