REPTILES OE THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK CITY 107 



Snake are the following : i . The stripes on the sides are situated 

 on the third and fourth rows of scales from the plates of the 

 crawling surface ; with the Garter Snake the lateral stripe is 

 situated on the second and third rows of scales. 2. The under- 

 side is immaculate, while the abdomen of the Garter Snake shows 

 a row of small black spots on each side. 3. The Ribbon Snake is, 

 in proportion, considerably more slender than the other species. 

 The active little Ribbon Snake frequents damp meadows and 

 woods. It seldom exceeds three feet in length. Its food consists 



T^'-' 



of small fashes, tadpoles and frogs. The species is viviparous, 

 but the number of young is small, seldom amounting to a dozen. 



Range: Southeastern Canada and the United States east of 

 the Rocky Mountains. 



Local distribution: General, but not common. 



The Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis (Fig. 13), is the most 

 common of our local serpents. The general color above is dark- 

 brown or black, with three yellowish stripes running Garter 

 lengthwise; beneath, the color is greenish yellow. Snake. 

 The skin along the sides when distended shows numerous white 



