XIO 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



This snake is most frequently found hiding under flat stones, 

 and in such places the reptile searches for its favorite food, 

 which consists of earthworms. 



The Brown Snake is viviparous, producing from fifteen to 

 eighteen young during August. During the first year the young 

 snakes are very dark with a whitish ring around the neck. At 

 this stage they resemble the young of the Ring-Necked Snake, 



FIG. lb. LitK«rs, UK dHuyViS SNAKE 



but they may be distinguished therefrom by their keeled scales. 

 When adult, the average length of the Brown Snake is about 

 fourteen inches. 



Range: Canada and the eastern United States from the 

 Atlantic coast westward to Kansas and southward to Mexico. 



Local distribution: Common in rocky localities. 



The Storer's Snake, or Red-Bellied Snake, Storeria occipito- 

 maculata (Fig. i6), closely resembles the Brown Snake, but may 

 be distinguished therefrom by its bright vermilion 

 Snake Underside. Down the back of Storer's Snake there is 



usually a well-defined stripe of a lighter shade than the 

 body color, which is brown or dark gray ; occasionally specimens 

 are slaty grav with a light stripe down the back bordered with 

 rows of minute black spots. On such specimens the bright red 

 of the underside is especially intense. It is a smaller species 



