532 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences^ Arts^ and Letters, 
DESCRIPTIONS OP SPECIMENS 
Because of the great variability of garter-snakes and the com¬ 
plexity of their classification descriptions have been inserted of 
the specimens used in this investigation, so that the reader may 
satisfy himself as to the affinities of the types dissected. 
The principal characters which are of value in classification 
are given in Table I. The two specimens from Granite City, 
Illinois, were of a dark olive-brown color. No. 1 showed much 
red on the sides between the black spots. No. 2 showed no red 
at all; otherwise they were alike. I judge these specimens to be 
ThainnopMs sirtalis. The red on the sides of No. 1 indicates that 
it belonged to the subspecies of T. sirtalis parietalis. 
Specimen No. 3 from Holland, Michigan, was of a chestnut 
brown color with a small amount of red on the sides {T. sirtalis 
parietalis) ; the dorsal stripe was obscure and the belly color was 
continuous with, and the same as, the color of the lateral stripe 
covering the first scale row. {T. sirtalis pallidula). Although 
T. sirtalis parietalis is not reported east of the Mississippi River 
the writer has frequently seen specimens having the character¬ 
istic red color near Granite City, Illinois, and at Holland, Mich¬ 
igan. 
The specimens from Madison, Wisconsin, are difficult to class¬ 
ify. They all look alike excepting No. 9 but on close investiga¬ 
tion they seem to fall into different groups. 
Table I — Showing general points about the garter-snakes studied. 
Number |j 
Locality 
j Dorsals 
Supra- 
labials 
j Infra¬ 
labials 
Ventrals 
Caudals 
1 Body 
j length 
Tail length 
Lateral 
stripe 
1 Sex 1 
1 
Granite, Ill. 
19-17 
7 
11 
152 
66 
25.50 
7.50 
2, 3 
F 
2 
19-17 
7 
11 
1.50 
33. 
2, 3 
F 
3 
Holland, Mich.. 
19-17 
7 
9 
146 
'63' 
16. 
4.50’ 
1, 2, 3 
F 
4 
Madison, Wis. 
19-19 
7 
10 
149 
74 
16. 
5. 
3 (4) 
M 
5 
19-17 
7 
10 
155 
79 
14.50 
4.75 
2. 3 
M 
6 
(4 44 
19-21 
7 
11 
154 
71 
15.50 
4.50 
2, 3 
F 
7 
“ “ 
21-19-17 
7 
10 
151 
63 
16.50 
4. 
3, 4 
F 
8 
4 4 44 
17-19 
7 
10 
162 
67 
21. 
5.75 
2, 3 
F 
9 
“ “ 
17-19-21 
7-8 
10 
157 
70 
13.65 
3.75 
(1) 3 (4) 
F 
10 
4 4 44 
19-17 
7 
10 
155 
63 
18.75 
4.75 
1, 2, 3 
F 
11 
Marion Co. 
19-17-15 
7 
9 
150 
22.50 
2, 3 
F 
12 
21-19-17 
7 
10 
145 
‘69’ 
28. 
7.50 
2, 3 
F 
13 
“ Fla...... 
19-17 
7 
10 
144 
70 
23. 
6.75 
2, 3 
F 
14 
4 4 4 4 
19-17 
7 
10 
143 
68 
20.50 
6. 
2, 3 
F 
15 
4 4 44 
19-17 
7 
10 
135 
71 
22.50 
6.50 
2, 3 
F 
16 
44 4 4 
19-17 
7 
10 
145 
22.50 
2, 3 
F 
17 
“ “ 
19-17 
6-7 
10 
142 
‘67' 
27. 
7.50 
2. 3 
F 
18 
19-17-15 
7-8 
10-11 
158 
22.50 
3(4) 
F 
