1915.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 147 



only one of the larger snakes being in this category. Doubtless, 

 all the 21 species will eat insects to a certain extent. The species 

 which are almost exclusive insect feeders are Haldea striatula, Sto- 

 reria occipitomaculata, Storeria dekayi and Opheodrys cestivus. The 

 reader must bear in mind throughout this discussion we are treating 

 Okefinokee snakes and not the species throughout its entire range. 



With the larger snakes, the food most generally sought is Anura 

 or Amphibia in general. It is par excellence the food of the aquatic 

 snakes, and with these four or five species it usually is some species 

 of Rana, though Acris, Chorophiliis or Hyla may rarely appear as 

 their prey. Equally important are frogs in the food of the larger 

 land snakes, 5 species being addicted to them. With these the 

 southern and oak toads (Bufo) are easily of first importance, with the 

 tree frogs (Hyla) and the narrow-mouthed frog (Engystoma) occupy- 

 ing second and third places. In fact, these 10 snakes prefer the 

 soft-bodied frogs and toads to any other food of the swamp (reptilian 

 eggs not considered), and if they were to be restricted to any one of 

 these categories they belong to this group. 



Fish enter into the food economy of all the aquatic species, the 

 bream and killifishes proving the common bait. L. d. coccineus 

 ate fish, as doubtless some of the island forms do when the smaller 

 fish become cut off in landlocked pools on the islands. 



In general, the lizards are swift (except the ground lizard), and 

 fall prey only to some of the swifter coursers of the islands. How- 

 ever, at least 5 species ate them or their eggs. The turtles when 

 young and soft are occasionally taken by the moccasins and possiblj' 

 by the other aquatic snakes, the young soft-shelled turtles {Platy- 

 peltis ferox) being the species most attacked. On the land, the 

 turtles' eggs are eaten by at least 2 species, if not by many more. 

 This source of food is one of the commonest of the swamp for man, 

 mammals and snakes. At least one-third of the species are canni- 

 balistic and will eat snakes, either adults or young, or eggs. 



The warm-blooded groups, birds and mammals, suffer from the 

 same foes. Seven species of the largest snakes of the swamp assail 

 them, their eggs or young. Four of these seven are the four poisonous 

 snakes of the swamp, while the other three are the pilot, black and 

 king snakes. In addition, the mammals have an inveterate foe in 

 the corn snake, which apparently does not molest birds. None of 

 these seven or eight species are aquatic but one, the moccasin. 



The three omnivorous coursers on the islands are the king snake, 

 pilot snake and the black snake, while in the water the only snake 



