286 The American Naturalist. (March, 
dential address before the Indiana Academy of. Science,’ where he 
finds in four species of snakes that in Eutaenia sirtalis the variation 
from the average number of body vertebræ amounts to 14 per cent., in 
Bascanion constrictor to 6 per cent., in Cyclophis vernalis to 4.5 per 
cent., and in Diadophis punctatus to 13 per cent. In the caudal verte- 
bre the variations amount to 35, 20, 23, and 23.5 per cent. respect- 
ively, while in proportion of tail to body the per cents are 9.4, 28, 25, 
and 35. Hay states that were breeders interested, they could very 
soon produce breeds of snakes with long bodies and short tails, and 
short bodies and long tails, or any other combinations that might be 
desired. The same author has also some interesting notes’ upon the 
systematic names and the habits of the species of Malaclemys. 
A. J. Bigney notes” the occurrence of Elaps fulvus in Ripley 
County (south eastern) Indiana. 
Some observations on the growth of the rattle of the rattlesnake are 
given by Dr. Feokistow, who studied specimens sent him from America. 
He finds" that the rattle is frequently shed, and (his snakes were kept 
in a very warm room) in three or four months two rattles were present, 
and that their formation has nothing to do with ecdysis. The snakes 
were made to register the vibrations of the rattle on smoked paper, and 
it was found that the vibration was a compound one, consisting of the 
vibration of the tail as a whole, and of the rattle independently of the 
tail vibrations. The approximate figures of vibrations are given for 
the tail seventy-five, of the rattle one hundred and ten per “minute.” 
Mr. W. E. Taylor has published a paper on the Snakes of Nebraska, 
giving descriptions of both the adult and the young of every species 
found in Nebraska, together with remarks upon their habits and pecu- 
liarities. (Rept. State Board Agric., 1891.) 
At the November meeting of the London Zoological Society, Dr. 
Gunther read a paper descriptive of a collection of reptiles and Batrach- 
ians from Nyassa land, transmitted by Mr. Johnston, containing 
examples of several remarkable new species, amongst which were three 
new Chameleons, proposed to be called Chameleon isabellinus, Rham- 
pholeon platyceps, and R. brachyurus. (Nature, Nov. 17, 1892.) 
8Proc. Ind. Acad., 1891, p. 37. 
*Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. xv., 1892. Cf. Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci., 1891. 
Proc, Ind. Acad. Sci., 1891, p. 151, 1892. 
Mélanges Biolog. Acad. Imp. St. Petersburg, xiii. Translated in Annals and 
Mag. Nat. Hist. vi, xi, 54, 1893. 
