240 REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



able of inflicting severe lacerations ; many never become 

 tame in captivity. And there are others, large, power- 

 ful and beautiful reptiles, that are strangely gentle in 

 their demeanor toward man, showing a real fondness 

 for their master, never biting under the most severe 

 mauling. They make veritable pets as captives. 



In a wild state we find their habits widely different; 

 slender forms dart through the trees in search of lizards ; 

 in the same trees may stalk the big species of Coluber , 

 gliding slowly upon feathered prey beneath a leafy cov- 

 ering, their only quick motion being a flash-like dart 

 of the head and neck when the quarry disappears in a 

 mercilessly constricting series of coils. Leading a life 

 on the ground are the swift Racers of the deserts or 

 slow, bloated forms that grovel in the sand by means 

 of an upturned snout. Far beneath the surface are 

 subterraneous species barely larger than worms, while 

 in the swamps and lagoons the water snakes bask in 

 grotesque clusters on branches overhanging the water, 

 plunging into the protecting element at the slightest 

 alarm. Such is a resume of the Colubrince. 



A well-known genus is Eutcenia — the Striped 

 Snakes. The habitat is North America and Mexico. 

 Eleven species occur in the United States. They have 

 coarsely-keeled scales and most of them show three yel- 

 lowish stripes on a dark body color — one stripe on the 

 middle of the back and a stripe on each side. 



The Striped Snakes, sometimes called the Garter 

 Snakes, are the commonest serpents of North America, 

 inhabiting every part of the continent where snakes are 

 to be found, literally swarming over numerous extensive 

 areas. In cultivated districts, where other snakes have 

 long since been exterminated, Striped Snakes are yet 

 abundant. This may be explained from their power of 



