igoi] Rattlesnakes and Scorpions. 163 



was too late in the seasotj, however, the snakes having' all left for 

 summer quarters, and all that was to be seen were some skins 

 that had been shed and a dead snake, probably an interloper, 

 which had apparently been killed by the others. Mr. Webster 

 expressed the belief that the snakes belonged to different com- 

 munities, and that an individual who attempted to force its com- 

 pany on a community to which it did not belong, suffered the 

 penalty of death at the fangs of the members of the invaded 

 colony. 



The bull snake (so-called), Pityophis catetiifer, a harmless 

 variety, is described as being a deadly enemy of the rattlesnake, 

 which the former devours whole. The bull snake is therefore 

 carefully preserved. Mr. Webster says that since the advent of 

 miners and settlers the number of rattlesnakes has sensibly 

 decreased. 



A curious account of a snake fight was described by Mr. 

 Webster, the witness being a Mr. Richter, a man well known to 

 him, and of whose veracity he can vouch. It appears that during 

 a cattle hunt Mr. Richter, feeling tired, dismounted, and fell 

 asleep, but was awakened by a rustling noise in the grass near 

 him. He raised himself carefully and saw a bull snake holding on 

 to a garter snake, a species of Euicenia, by the head. The latter 

 was making frantic efforts to get away by winding itself about the 

 body of the larger snake, nearly succeeding several times, when 

 the bull snake loosened his hold in the attempt to get the smaller 

 snake " end on," so as to begin the swallowing operation. At 

 length the bull snake, apparently tired of this way of trying to 

 capture its prey, reared itself on its head and began twirling itself 

 violently with a spiral motion. This continued for about a minute, 

 after which the garter snake seemed quite paralyzed, and the bull 

 snake proceeded to swallow him at his leisure. 



J. R. Anderson. 



Victoria, B.C., 1901. 



