The Racers 



Disirihiition. — The Gopher Snake or Indigo Snake is a variety 

 of a large serpent inhabiting tropical South America and Cen- 

 tral America. The typical form is pale brown or olive, sometimes 

 dark on the forward portion of the body and becoming bright 

 yellow on the posterior half. It is popularly termed the "Cribo" 

 or the " Rat Snake." A darker variety occurs in northern Central 

 America and Mexico. 



The black form (the Indigo Snake) inhabits the Gulf States 

 of North America, occurring in South Carolina, Georgia and 

 Florida, thence westward to the Rio Grande in eastern Texas 

 and into Mexico. Texas specimens have a tendency to show 

 traces of brown upon the tips of the scales, thus appealing to the 

 Mexican variety. Specimens from the extreme eastern portions 

 of the United States — Georgia and Florida — are always uniform 

 black, with the exception of traces of red upon the sides of the 

 head and on the throat. 



North American "Black Snakes": From this description 

 it will be noted that the Gopher Snake might appropriately be 

 called a "blacksnake," which is often the case in portions of 

 the reptile's range — but this confuses it with a commoner reptile 

 — the blacksnake, or racer, a species widely distributed and well 

 known under the title. The latter reptile extends its range well 

 into that of the Gopher Snake and its colouration is very similar. 

 A few words will clear this situation. 



The Gopher Snake (Spilotes), is highly polished — glassy — 

 in appearance. The Blacksnake (Zamenis constrictor) exhibits 

 a satiny lustre, like the surface of a gun-barrel. The chin and 

 throat of the former species are reddish; the chin and throat 

 of the latter are milky-white. 



Another North American blacksnake is the Pilot Blacksnake, 

 or Black Chicken Snake (Coluber obsolctus). Close examination 

 will show this species to have weakly keeled scales, a character 

 at once distinguishing it from the former reptiles as both have 

 smooth scales. 



Habits of the Gopher Snake 



Few of the North American serpents are more attractive 

 than the present species. Its smooth, glittering length of blue- 

 black body, flashing with all the prismatic colours along the broad 



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