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Leconte's Snake — Part 2
Heterodon platyrhinus, (Latreille)
The largest species attaining a length of over a yard. With its very thick body, triangular, flat head and turned-up nose, it looks highly formidable.
Variations.--The variability of shades in the ground-colour of different individuals and the arrangement and size of the blotches are great. Many specimens have a tinge of bright brick-red upon the neck, while the remainder of the body is marked in ordinary fashion. At the time of compiling this description, the writer has before him a specimen with yellow body colours which gradually assume a reddish hue toward the head, and for a distance of about two inches the neck is brick-red and in bold contrast to the other colours. Another specimen shows a ground-colour of the same tinge (red) for more than half the length of the body, while the spots of the back fuse into those of the sides, giving the snake the appearance of being strongly banded with red and black. A third specimen is olive green, with the spots very indistinct upon the back, where slightly paler patches of colour show what should be the spaces between them. Specimens found in very dry and open sandy places are usually light in colour, while those frequenting wooded districts show darker shades.
With few exceptions, the head is of a uniform brown or yellowish-brown, with a dark band crossing the top, slightly in front of the eyes. Behind the eyes is a broken band, from which radiate two others extending into the neck, where they widen to form two large patches. A short band extends from the eye to the angle of the mouth.
Freshly hatched specimens resemble the parent in pattern, but show more vivid colours.
Total Length . . . . . 28 inches.