The harmless kind most closely resembling the coral snake probably is the Mexican milk snake, technically known as _Lampropeltis doliata annulata_ and found south of Kerrville. The head of this snake normally is black. Body and tail are marked with a series of from 19 to 25 narrow yellow rings bordered by slightly wider black rings. The red rings on the body are just as wide as the combined yellow and two adjacent black rings. Another of these mimics is the western milk snake (_Lampropeltis doliata gentilis_), a small species usually less than two feet long, which is native to central and western Texas. It has a pattern of from 25 to 40 yellow rings which are bordered by black. The red rings are separated from the yellow by black rings. All rings on this form are very narrow. In the southeastern part of the state is found still another of these mimics—the Louisiana milk snake (_Lampropeltis doliata amaura_). Rarely reaching a length of two feet, this form has a pattern of narrow yellow rings which are bordered on each side by narrow black rings. The much wider red rings are separated from the yellow by the black rings. In the scarlet snake (_Cemophora coccinea_) of eastern and coastal Texas, the pattern is a series of wide red blotches bordered by much narrower black bands. The yellow bands, about half the width of the red ones, are separated from them by the black bands. The belly is unmarked white or yellow. Adults are about a foot and a half long but a 25-inch specimen is on record. Size—The coral snake is generally less than two and a half feet long with a body diameter of about three-eights of an inch. The largest known specimen is nearly 42 inches long and was collected on the mid-Texas coast. Young—This is the only poisonous Texas snake which lays eggs. From two to nine eggs constitute the egg complement of this form. Distribution—This snake is known in the following counties: Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Bosque, Brazoria, Brazos, Brooks, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Colorado, Comal, Dallas, DeWitt, Duval, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kleberg, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Llano, Mason, Matagorda, McLennan, Milam, Montgomery, Morris, Nacogdoches, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Polk, Real, Refugio, Robertson, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Sutton, Tarrant, Terrell, Tom Green, Travis, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton, Willacy, Williamson, and Wilson.