THE SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 271 



A PLEA FOR SNAKES. 



Prof. Emil Bauer, of Aun Arbor, enters the following plea for serpents : 

 " My gardener one day last May brought me triumphantly a very large blue 

 racer he had killed in my orchard, stating that he had been attacked by a pair 

 of them that had their home in a stone pile. I felt very sorry, knowing the 

 usefulness of this species of serpent, yet not being fully posted on the habits 

 of the blue racer, I addressed Prof. J. B. Steere, zoologist of our State Uni- 

 versity, an inquiry. He replied : ' I received your note. The blue racer is 

 not poisonous, but gets its food by crushing it. Its ordinary food is rats, mice 

 and squirrels, and it may catch small birds. I don't think they would be 

 dangerous in the least to children, though they have a good deal of force in. 

 their coils. I never heard of anyone being hurt by them, though they are 

 very plentiful in many parts of the west. I think you will find that their use- 

 fulness will outweigh any injury possible for them to do.' Every one who 

 meets a snake thinks he must kill it, while most of them are our helpers in 

 the destruction of mice and noxious insects." 



