The Rainbow Snakes 



Habits. — A burrowing animal, usually found in swampy 

 stretches of timber, hiding under fallen and decaying tree trunks. 

 Concerning the habits. Prof. E. D. Cope has written: "The 

 Pamunkey River specimens were dug from a clay bank beneath 

 ten feet of sand. Mr. Clarence B. Moore in his excavations of the 

 Indian mounds of Florida, has dug it from nearly as great a depth 

 beneath the surface, in sand." 



Closely related to the Rainbow Snake, it resembles that 

 serpent in habits so far as they are known. Very young specimens 

 will eat earthworms. The writer has never succeeded in inducing 

 mature examples to feed. They are indifferent to handling and 

 shows no signs of temper beyond nervously twisting from side 

 to side or coiling the tail about one's wrist. On the tail is a 

 needle-like spine, so short as to be barely noticeable. This will 

 often slightly wound the skin and is alleged by the negroes to 

 be a "sting." When a specimen is replaced in its cage, it im- 

 mediately burrows into the sand or moss and while taking no 

 sustenance but an occasional drink, will live and continue vigorous 

 for six or eight months. While degenerate in form — the eyes 

 being small, dull, and poorly developed — and essentially fitted 

 for a subterraneous life, this snake is quite active and can glide 

 over the ground with some speed and grace. It also swims 

 and dives with considerable agility. The tongue is proportion- 

 ately small and its movements are slow as compared with the 

 quivering flash of that organ to be noted with the majority of 

 snakes. 



The species is oviparous — laying from two to four dozen 

 bluntly oval, yellowish-white eggs, with a perfectly smooth 

 integument. 



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