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Common Garter Snake — Part 2
With a form so variable in colour and pattern, specimens may frequently be found that seem to fit nowhere and thus greatly confuse the student. To meet such emergencies, the writer has prepared the following concise descriptions, illustrating phases of variation that have come under his notice, and possibly furnishing helpful suggestions for the determination of odd specimens.
Stripes distinct.
Velvety black. A white stripe on back. Westchester Stripes on sides, straw colour. Abdomen rich County,
yellow.(This phase was called obscura, by Prof. E.D Cope, owing to the absence of spots between the stripes) New York.
Velvety black. A bright green stripe on back. Stripes on sides, straw colour. Abdomen pale green. Swamp near Brooklyn, New York.
Rich brown. A white stripe on back. Dull yellow stripes on sides. Black spots between the stripes. Sullivan County, New York.
Brilliant brick red, with white stripes. Small black spots between the stripes. This remarkable specimen undoubtedly represented a phase of albinism. It tongue was red at the base, with white, forked tips. Marion County, Florida.
Olive, with narrow yellow stripes. The central stripe broken at regular intervals by black spots. Pike County, Pennsylvania.
Black, with broad stripes on back and sides, those on the sides broken at regular-intervals by broad bars of black. Has been named E. sirtalis semifasciata, Cope but it is not constant . Females of this pattern give birth to young of the ordinary type among others that are marked like the parent. Western Indiana.
No stripes on sides.
Black with a dull yellow stripe on back. A broad, dark brown band on side extending from the edges of the abdominal plates to the third row of scales (inclusive). Adirondack Mts., New York.
Same as the preceding with the exception of band on side which is pale yellow. Adirondack Mts., New York.
All the stripes absent. These forms approach the variety ordinatus
Black above, with a broad band of dull brown on the sides. Green County, New York.