THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXXVII. 

 Table VIII. 



Species. 



\ 

 I 



11 



If 



m 



n~ 



< = i 



- 



Number of Scale || 



I* 



I- 



\\ 



H 

 |i 



1 



if 



Color. 



Color and 

 cre tio°n S or 



ofv 

 1 



,3 



u'ul 



-A 



Hty 







22. 3 % 





20.5% 







j 



T 



Black above 



White to 



26% 





30% 





















markings 



























68.5 







; s-;; 



24% 





























































erythrogaster from its more common relative. Were all our 

 knowledge of these two snakes confined to what has been 

 learned about them from the study of these Olivet specimens, 

 the proper course would be simple and no one would hesitate 

 to write Natrix erythrogaster as a good species. But unfortu- 

 nately for the followers of such an easy course, Natrix fascia ta 

 is a very widely distributed and variable species, and water 

 snakes referred to the subspecies erythrogaster have been 

 taken in many parts of the United States south of Michigan, 

 and even in Mexico. In fact, erythrogaster is regarded as 

 characteristic of the Austroriparian district, and its occurrence 

 in Michigan is looked upon as an extreme northward extension 

 of its range. 



Through the kindness of Dr. Stejneger, to which reference 

 has already been made, there were sent me from the National 

 Museum three specimens of Natrix, which were referred to 

 erythrogaster by Cope, and a fourth specimen, from the Dismal 

 Swamp, Virginia. All are females. Let us now examine 

 these specimens carefully: 



1. The specimen from the Dismal Swamp (National Museum, 

 No. 26,256) resembles the Olivet erythrogasters very closely, 



