BEYISION OF THE KING SNAKES. 35 



at the tip; fringes of calyces few, fairly prominent, passing into 

 spines; latter extending a little less than half way to the base; not 

 particularly numerous or thick set (although apparently so if the 

 organ is not fully everted); basal portion with many conspicuous 

 but minute spines, extending downward for a distance about equal to 

 that covered by the major spines. This latter character appears to be 

 restricted to this form and niger. It is conspicuously well developed 

 in specimens examined from Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and 

 specimens from the following localities have these minute spines 

 developed over as much area but often more or less imbedded in the 

 tissue, and therefore less conspicuous: Galveston, Texas; Mobile, 

 Alabama; Kansas; Grinnell, Iowa; Keelfoot Lake, Tennessee; Kem- 

 per County, Mississippi. It is thus a characteristic of this form 

 throughout its range. 



. The dentition is as follows: Maxillary teeth usually 13, sometimes 

 14, the first very small, the rest large and subequal; mandibular 

 teeth, 14 or 15, rarely 16, the first very small, the next seven or eight 

 the largest, the remainder decreasing gradually to about the size of 

 the first; palatines usually 9, sometimes 8, subequal and about the 

 size of the anterior maxillaries; pterygoids, 13 to 18, usually 16, 

 smaller than the palatines and subsequal. 



Intergradation between this form and splendida undoubtedly takes 

 place in Texas in the region of the ninety-seventh or ninety-eighth 

 meridians. It is impossible in some instances to refer a specimen 

 definitely to one form or the other. Distinctions which usually hold 

 are as follows: The head of holbrooki has many small yellow spots, 

 that of splendida is mostly black, with but few spots; in Jiolbrooki the 

 dorsal spaces between the cross bands have a yellow spot on each 

 scale in adults (in young, few or none), in splendida there are no 

 spots here, or but few; Tiolhrooki usually has no more than 21 rows of 

 scales, while splendida has 23. To distinguish from niger and from 

 getulus see under these forms. 



HaMtat and hahits. — Very little has been recorded on the natural 

 history of this form. Hurter (1911, 185, 255) states for Missouri 

 that it inhabits hilly places with sunny glades, occurring under rocks 

 and fallen trees. On the other hand, Mr. Percy Viosca informs the 

 writer that in Louisiana it is found in moist places throughout the 

 entire alluvial section of the State. Mr. H. P. Loding says that near 

 Mobile, Alabama, they are turned up by the plow in the spring. 



Like getulus it is reported to be the enemy of the rattlesnake and 

 the moccasin. Coues (1878, 269) mentions this, and Humphreys 

 (1881, 561-2) gives a rather elaborate accoimt of how one swallov/ed 

 a water moccasin {Ancistrodon piscivorous). Branson (1904, 397-8) 

 states it to be the enemy of all other snakes. 



