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IOWA ACADEMY OP SCIENCE 
in Freeman township, Clay county, and the writer has observed it in 
the latter locality in previous years. Its principal habitat is undoubtedly 
the upland prairie. 
The coloration of the single specimen obtained is very distinctive 
(Fig. 7). The pale bluish green of the under surface is continued 
upward on the sides nearly to the first lateral hand. This lateral band is 
pale bluish, of about one-third the widtii of a scale, and extends from the 
ear, just above the insertion of the limbs, upon the tail ; it is narrowly 
and irregularly margined below with black and is itself rather irregular, 
giving off above some irregular pale marks. The sides are black to the 
upper lateral stripe, which lies about two scales above the first and ex- 
tends from above, the eye upon the tail. This upper stripe is pale yellow 
and even narrower than the first, but is more regular. Above the upper 
lateral band there is a band of black (two half scale rows wide) extend- 
ing upon the head to the supraocular region. On the median six rows 
the predominating color is pale brownish olive, as is also the top of the 
head and the snout. The wide olive dorsal band is irregularly broken up 
with black which is mostly confined to the edges of the scale rows, form- 
ing narrow broken bands the median two of which are the better defined. 
The chin is pale yellow, and the tail olive with narrow black bands. 
Cope’s"^ figures show the scutellation very well. There are 4 supraocu- 
lars, 7 supralabials, a postmental, and no postnasal. 
The range of the species is as yet very imperfectly known. Originally’" 
described from ‘‘Minnesota and Nebraska,” other specimens have since 
been listed by Cope from Red River of the North ; Sand Hills, Nebraska ; 
Neosho Falls, Kansas; Fort Kearney, Nebraska^ and Old Fort Cobb. It 
seems that this is the first record for Iowa. Hoy’“ says that in Wisconsin 
the species is not uncommon as far north as Lake Winnebago, but, in 
the opinion of the writer, this statement needs verification. 
7. ThamnopJiis radix (Baird and Girard). — Racine Garter-snake. 
This species is the common snake as well as the common garter-snake of 
the region studied. It is of general distribution, occurring both in 
the wet and dry habitats. It is most common, however, about the margin 
of the sloughs. The large number of specimens obtained by this expedi- 
tion were used in the writer ’s monograph’^ of the genus, and need not be 
redescribed. The habits of the specimens have also been summarized 
^^Cope, E. D., the Crocodilians, Lizards, and Snakes of North America. Kept. U. S. 
National Museum, 1898, p. 657. 
^2Baird, S. P., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1858, p. 256. 
^®Hoy, P. R., Catalogue of the Cold-blooded Vertebrates of TVisconsin, Geol. Surv. 
Wis., Vol. I, p. 423. 
^muthven, Alexander G., The Variations and Genetic Relationships of the Garter 
Snakes. Bull. 61, U. S. National Museum. 
