179 



date, had laid its eggs for the summer. The largest eggs that we 

 found were one and three-fourths inches long and three-fourths in 

 diameter. We have collected them as late as the 25th of October 

 and have evidences that they hatch during that month and Sep- 

 tember. The young are nearly nine inches long at the time of 

 hatching. 



There is very little reported by writers upon the food of this 

 serpent, although Dr. Atkinson has found in its stomach DeKay's 

 Snake, and also the Queen Snake or Striped Water Snake. Cope 

 has also found it feeding uimn the Pennsylvania meadow mouse, 

 and Dr. Merriam in "Science News" has reported its eating the Gar- 

 ter Snake. 



Fig. 17a. — Diagram • sshowing the percentages of 

 Food Items of House Snake (Lanipropeltis do Hat us 

 triangulux ) found during July and August only: 

 331/4 per cent. Field Mice; 331^ per cent. Mice; 13 

 per cent. Birds; 7 per cent. Unidentified Mam- 

 mals; 7 per cent. Snakes; 6 per cent. Slugs. 



In our dissections of ninety specimens we found forty-eight with 

 empty stomachs, and of those which contained food the following 

 table gives the different kinds of animals eaten and the number of 

 specimens of this sj)ecies feeding upon each kind of material: 



No. Specimens: Food Materials: 



1 Slugs. 



2 Undet. Vertebrates. 

 1 Red-bellied Snake. 



1 Rock Snake. 



1 Undet. Bird. 



2 Robin's Egsrs. 



