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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



When repeatedly annoyed, this snake will feign death and 

 may then be roughly handled without its displaying signs of life. 

 Its food consists principally of toads. The species is oviparous, 

 depositing about two dozen eggs. A large specimen will measure 

 three feet in length and one and a half inches in diameter. 



Range: The United States east of the Rocky Mountains. 



Local distribution: Found in nearly all the sandy localities 

 adjacent to New York City. Common on Long Island and the 

 Bayonne peninsula. New Jersey. 





FIG. 12. RIBBON SNAKE 



The Ribbon Snake, Thamnopkis saurita (Fig. 12), is a species 

 which might be easily confounded with the Garter Snake, owing 

 Ribbon to the similarity of markings. The body color is dark 

 Snake. brown or black, with a bright and \'ery clearly-defined 

 stripe of yellow down the back and a similar stripe on each side. 

 The body is very slender and the scales are distinctly keeled. 

 When the skin is distended the sides of the body show small, 

 white spots. 



The chief differences between this species and the Garter 



