170 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Mai.^ 



whenever one finds it digging, for it almost invariably means other 

 snakes, eggs or some good capture. It will seldom fail to react per 

 schedule if you loosely hold it in one hand and a live blacksnake 

 in the other. Almost before you can predict the outcome, the 

 former may be far within its captor — a demonstration we have tried 

 more than once in the field. It is especially fond of young snakes. 

 One of our specimens had taken a newly hatched Heterodon and the 

 natives recounted several occasions when they had found it working 

 beneath a log for what proved a brood of young snakes. We do 

 not doubt but that it feeds on mice, rats and other small mammals^ 

 but of such evidence we found little in the swamp. Possibly, in 

 early spring or in the fall these are more its reliance. The principal 

 food of this species is turtles' eggs, with snakes or their eggs a second 

 choice. Four of our specimens had eaten Florida cooters' {Chrysemys 

 floridana) eggs which they dug out of the sand and two had mud 

 turtle {Cino sternum pennsylvdnicum) eggs in their stomachs. Mr. 

 Francis Harper tells us that he and David Lee almost stepped on a 

 king snake. After their recovery, what should they find but a 

 Kinosternon digging in sand probably preparatory to laying and the 

 king snake was close at hand. In fact, so addicted are they to this 

 egg diet, that the natives consider that it is a common happening 

 to find the snake awaiting the egg deposition. Unless it be the 

 Florida bear, there is no form in the swamp which eats turtles' eggs 

 in such quantity as the king snake. It will take a whole nest of 

 eggs at one time, as many as 14 being found in the stomach of one 

 snake. 



Breeding. — Of the breeding habits of this species we have a few 

 scant notes. Mr. Harper reports a pair of them mating on May 19, 

 1912, and says another king snake was watching the pair. One 

 of our specimens (No. 6,145), taken June 13, 1912, had 7 fair-sized 

 eggs. Only one of the specimens had parasites, and this had two 

 large parasitic worms 30 mm. long fastened to the outside of the 

 esophagus and lying in the body cavity. 



10. Cemophora COCCinea Blumenbach: Scarlet Snake; "Coral Snake"; Red Snake. Plate 

 III. fig. 3. 



One specimen of the scarlet snake was captured on Billy's Island 

 by one of the native boys. This appears to be one of the rarer snakes 

 of the swamp, six of the scarlet king snakes being taken to the lone 

 one of this species. This species extends from Maryland to Florida 

 and westward to the Mississippi Valley. 



Coloration. — The color of the back is a salmon-pink, brighter 



