160 



during the first and second weeks of September. The young snakes 

 commence to strike and fight and defend themselves before they 

 are out of the shell. At the time it leaves the shell it is nearly one 

 foot in length, and so spotted in color that it is thought by most 

 persons to be a Spotted Adder, or House Snake or almost any other 

 kind of spotted snake excepting the Pilot or Smooth Black Snake. 



The food of the Pilot Snake has been reported by writers to be 

 as follows: Birds' eggs (Maximilian, Cope and Garman); rats, rab- 

 bits and small animals (Cope, E. D.); mammals, birds and batra- 

 chians when in captivity (Atkinson). Prof. Cope definitely records 

 that he found it eating wild mice. Our investigations show defi- 

 nitely a much more extended list of the elements of food substances, 

 as given in the following table: 



No. Specimens: Food Materials: 



From the above list of food, it will be seen that the Pilot feeds 

 upon birds of various kinds and also on their eggs. These are 

 generally sjx'cies that nest in bushes or near the ground. The 

 egg« of chickens and robins have been definitely determined in their 

 stomachs, while we have found also red- winged Blackbirds, Spar- 

 rows and Crow-blackbirds eaten by them. Among the mamma's 

 arc the oj)osi^uni and the wvy destructive meadow mouse and liousc^ 

 mouse, as well ;is S(|uirrels. chipmunks, shrews and weasels. The 

 insects eaten are also to be consideied, as these ai-e species that 

 are obnoxious to th(^ interests of man. 



