THE SNAKES S53 



Four species are known. Two are generallj^ abundant 

 in eastern North America, where they are known as 

 the Brown Snakes or Ground Snakes. Of these 

 DeKay's Snake, S. dekayi, is most familiar. It hves 

 principally in stone piles or under flat rocks, where there 

 is plenty of the favorite food, earthworms. The color 

 above is brown, with an obscure pale streak on the back, 

 bordered on each side with a row of black dots; the ab- 

 domen is pink. A large specimen is but fourteen inches 

 long. Twelve to fourteen young are produced at a 

 birth. The babies are altogether difl'erent from the 

 parent, being black with a white collar. They mature 

 within a year. 



Storer's Snake or the Red-Bellied Snake, S. occi- 

 pitomaculata, despite its formidable scientific name, is 

 smaller than its near ally. Elevated places, where there 

 are plenty of stone piles and flat rocks, with an abun- 

 dance of earthworms, are the localities frequented. From 

 DeKay's Snake we may easily tell the present species 

 by the gorgeous vermilion of the abdomen. Two phases 

 are equally common : — one, brownish on the back with a 

 pale streak, the other dark slaty gray. The tiny young 

 form a litter of ten to fourteen. One of them could 

 comfortably coil on a penny, leaving a margin all 

 around. Both DeKay's and Storer's snake are inter- 

 esting for the vivarium. Living peaceablj^ among the 

 smaller kinds of lizards, they are satisfied with an earth- 

 worm diet. At the same time they are so good-tempered 

 it is possible to handle even wild specimens without pro- 

 voking an intimation of hostile symptoms. 



The Racers: Zamenis forms an interesting, cosmo- 

 politan genus of large, smooth-scaled, highly active ser- 

 pents, obtaining the small mammals and reptiles form- 

 ing their prey by hunting boldly in the open. Contrary 



