No. 433.] SNAKES OF SOUTHERN MICHIGAN. 2 1 



but is smaller than any of my specimens (712 mm.) and has a 

 much longer head and tail proportionately. These differences 

 may be due, however, to the measurements having been made 

 from the preserved specimen, in which the body would natu- 

 rally have shrunk more than the head or tail. So far as can be 

 judged from preserved material, the color was originally the same 

 as in Olivet specimens. This snake clearly throws no light on the 

 question of relationship to sipedon, but it leaves little doubt in 

 my mind that the Virginia and Michigan snakes are identical. 



2. The second specimen (National Museum, No. 1350) is a 

 small snake less than 600 mm. long, collected many years ago 

 by Professor Agassiz at " Lake Huron." It has only 146 gas- 

 trosteges, the diameter of the eye is less than 19 per cent of 

 the head length, and the markings on the upper surface are 

 those of sipedon. The tail is broken so that the number of 

 urosteges could not be determined exactly, and the whole speci- 

 men is so badly faded that it is not possible to say what the 

 colors or markings of the ventral surface were in life, but there 

 are no distinct dark markings on the gastrosteges. In spite 

 of this, however, the snake seems to me clearly a sipedon and 

 it probably never even approached erythrogaster. 



3. The third specimen (National Museum, No. 1 35 1) is from 

 St. Louis, Mo., and is also an old and faded specimen, but 

 the presence of light transverse bands, bordered with black, 

 across the back is very evident. Underneath the specimen is 

 practically unmarked, and it may have been rufous, like erythro- 

 gaster. The diameter of the eye is 23 per cent of the head 

 length, and there are 152 gastrosteges, but there are 24 rows 

 of scales and only 61 urosteges. The specimen is probably an 

 erythrogaster, with evident indications of relationship to some 

 sipedon-Uke form. 



4- The fourth specimen (National Museum, No. 1341) is 

 from Lansing, Mich., less than thirty miles from Olivet, and 

 is also old and badly faded. It has the diameter of the eye 

 20 per cent of the head length, 1 5 1 gastrosteges, 64 urosteges, 

 and 25 rows of scales. It is like erythrogaster in color, except 

 that at intervals of 20 mm. along the middle of the back are 

 indications of dark transverse markings. 



