REPTILES OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK CITY 95 



comprehension. To aid in this idea, the species are grouped in 

 the key without regard to technical classification. 



Key to the Snakes^ 



a. Scales smooth. 



Size small. 



Light brown above ; pinkish beneath ; 



snout conical Worm Snake (Carpho- 



phis amccnus). 

 Pale green above; white beneath. . . .Green Snake {Cyclo- 



pliis vernalis). 

 Dark gray above ; a yellow ring 



around the neck; yellow beneath. .Ring-necked Snake 



(Diodophis puncta- 

 tus) . 

 Size moderate. 



Gray, with chestnut saddles above; 

 beneath white, with square spots of 



black Milk Snake (Lampro- 



peltis doliatiis trian- 

 gulus) . 

 Size large. 



Uniform satiny black above; black 

 beneath, with the chin and throat 



white Black Snake (Bascan- 



ion constrictor). 

 aa. Scales of the back feebly keeled. 

 Size large. 



Black above ; beneath white, blotched 

 with gray; scales of the sides show 



white edges Pilot Blacksnake {Co- 

 luber obsoletus). 



b. Scales keeled. 



Size small. 



Brown above ; pink beneath DeKay's Snake (Sto- 



reria dekayi). 

 Brown or gray above; bright red 



* beneath Storer's Snake (S. oc- 



cipito-maculata) . 



Dark brown or black above, with a 



yellow stripe down the back and a 



similar stripe on each side on third 



and fourth rows of scales from 



underside Ribbon Snake (Tham- 



nophis saurita). 



' All of the local harmless snakes have eyes with round pupils. The two 

 species of local poisonous snakes have elliptical (cat-like) pupils. 



