CLASS III. REPTILIA: ORDER 4. OPHIDIA. 399 
long, with an elongated snout, and a head much larger than the body ; found both in India 
and Africa. 
Genus HERPETON" : Herpeton. — Tliis includes a very curious species, H. tentaculatus^ the 
muzzle of which is furnished with two 
soft prominences, covered with scales, the 
use of which is not ascertained. The tail 
s long and pointed; little is known of 
the habits of this species. 
PINE-SNAKE, COACH-WHIP SNAKE, Ac. 
Genus PITUOPHIS : Pi ifw op Am.— This 
includes the Pine or Bull-Snake, P. me- 
lanoleucus, seven to eight feet long ; body 
milky white, clouded with black oblong 
blotches ; abdomen pale cream-color ; feeds 
on rabbits, squirrels, and birds ; common 
from Maryland to Florida. It is the largest 
species in the United States, except the 
Gopher-Snake. 
Genus PSAMMOPHIS : Psammophis. 
— To this belongs the Coach- Whip Snake, 
P. fiagelliformis, five to seven feet long ; 
glossy black above, bluish-slate beneath. 
It is remarkable for the swiftness of its 
motions ; feeds on young birds, and de- 
rives its name from the formation of the tail, which resembles Avhip-cord ; found in South Caro- 
lina, Georgia, and Florida. 
Genus CORONELLA : Coronella. — This includes several species. The Chain-Snake, (7. 
getula, is three and a half to four feet long ; the ground color rich raven-black, beautifully marked 
with twenty-two white transverse bars. It lives in moist places, and feeds on moles, small birds, 
and lizards ; common in the Cai-olinas. 
The Coronella Sayi, color bluish-black, tinged with violet above, has each plate and scale 
marked with a milk-white spot ; length four feet ; is found along the valley of the Mississippi. 
The C. rhomho-maculata, of a chestnut-brown above, salmon-color beneath, is thirty inches 
long, and found in Georgia and Alabama. 
The C. doliata is a very small but brilliantly colored species, fifteen inches long; scarlet, 
marked with black rings, above ; beneath white ; found in Carolina and Georgia. 
Genus HELICOPS : JSelicops. — This includes two species, the H. erythrogrammus and H. 
ahacurus, both beautiful species, and found in the Southern States. 
Genus BRACHYORRHOS : Brachyorrlios. — This includes the B. ammmcs, ten to twelve 
inches long ; light chestnut-brown above, salmon-color below ; found in the Atlantic States from 
New Hampshire to Florida ; also in Mississippi and Louisiana. 
Genus RHINOSTOMA : Rhinostoma. — This includes the Scarlet Snake, R. coccinea, eighteen 
inches long; body bright vermilion, marked with black bands; found in the Atlantic Southern States. 
Genus HETERODOIS' : Heterodon. — The animals of this genus have the power of flattening 
the head and body even more than those of the genus Tropidinotus, and in which respect they 
approach the Cobra di capello. To this belongs the Hog-JN'ose Snake, H. simus, fourteen to 
fifteen inches long ; the nostrils lateral, and near the snout ; color light gray, with a triple series 
of dusky or black spots, varying in form and size ; found about the sea islands of Georgia and 
South Carolina. 
The Black Viper, JI. niger, has nostrils like the preceding ; eighteen inches long ; color black 
above; beneath bluish-slate color; lives in pine-barrens, and is harmless, but its hiss is said to 
be frightful ; is found in the Southern States. 
