110 BULLETIN 175, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



p. 209); Morrill County, 5 miles southwest of Bonner (Burt and Hoyle, 1934, 

 p. 209); Nemaha and Sarpy Counties (Taylor, 1891, p. 337); Sheridan County 

 (Taylor, 1891, 337), 4 miles east of Bingham (Burt and Hoyle, 1934, p. 209); 

 Sand Hills of the Loup Fork of the Upper Missouri River (Hayden, 1862, 

 p. 177). 



Minnesota: Fillmore County, 1 mile east of Preston (Burt, 1935b, p. 331). 



South Dakota: Fall River County, 7 miles south of Hot Springs (Burt and Burt, 

 1929a, p. 11); Gregory County, right bank of Missouri River near Wheeler 

 Bridge, near Wheeler (Burt and Burt, 1929b, p. 457) ; Mellette County, 9 miles 

 east of Cedarbutte (Burt and Hoyle, 1934, p. 209) ; Pennington County, 1 mile 

 east of Imlay (Burt and Burt, 1929a, p. 11); Tripp County, 5 miles southeast 

 of Witten (Burt and Hoyle, 1934, p. 209). 



Colorado: Adams County: Barr (Ellis and Henderson, 1913, p. 94); Baca County 

 (Ellis and Henderson, 1913, p. 94); Chaffee County, Hortense Hot Springs 

 near Buenavista (Ellis and Henderson, 1915, p. 262); Jefferson County, 12 

 miles west of Denver (Burt and Burt, 1929b, p. 457); Larimer County, Fort 

 Collins, 5 miles south of Box Elder (EUis and Henderson, 1913, p. 94); Las 

 Animas County (Ellis and Henderson, 1913, p. 94); Morgan County, Wild 

 Cat Creek northeast of Fort Morgan (Ellis and Henderson, 1913, p. 94); 

 Prowers County, Arkansas River at Holly (Burt, 1935b, p. 331); Sedgwick 

 County, Julesburg (EUis and Henderson, 1913, p. 94); Yuma County, Wray 

 (Ellis and Henderson, 1913, p. 94); ? County, Osgood (Ellis and Henderson, 

 1913, p. 94). 



Wyoming: Big Horn County, 3 miles north of Basin (Burt and Hoyle, 1934, p. 209) ; 

 Converse County, 6 miles west of Careyhurst, 2 miles west of Glenrock (Burt 

 and Hoyle, 1934, p. 209) ; Fremont County, 3 miles northwest of Diversion 

 Dam (Burt and Hoyle, 1934, p. 209); Johnson County, 16 miles south of 

 BufiFalo (Burt and Hoyle, 1934, p. 209). 



Montana: Custer County, mouth of Custer's Creek (Allen, 1874, 69); Valley 

 County, Poplar River (Cope. 1900, 871). 



Alberta, Canada: Assiniboia, Medicine Hat (Boulenger, 1894, p. 69). 



Habits and habitat. — This form, which has the widest range of any in 

 the genus, is probably better known than any other form of PituopJds. 

 Accordingly, more observations of its habits have been recorded than 

 for the other members of the genus, with the possible exception of 

 m. melanoleucus. 



Cooper (1860, p. 301) says that they are "occasionally ploughed up 

 by settlers" and that "during the rutting season they seem to follow 

 each other by the scent." 



Wied (1865, p. 97) tells of finding frogs in the stomachs of these 

 snakes. 



Taylor (1891, p. 336) describes their food as "almost wholly made up 

 of rodents, most notably ground mice, but also including rats, gophers, 

 squirrels, moles and similar animals." lie says also that they are 

 "very prolific" and that although naturally docile "when forced to 

 fight these snakes prefer to get against some object or coil the body 

 around some bush or stake, when they can strike a blow sufficient to 

 defend themselves against the attack of an ordinary sized dog." 



Garman (1892, p. 289) describes the hissing as "bearing a very re- 

 mote resemblance to the bellow of a bull, hence the common name," 



