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be found. Frequently these eggs are plowed 
up by the husbandman, who conscientiously 
believes he is doing society a great service by 
destroying all he finds But he commits a 
serious error to his own immediate injury, as 
snakes feed on field-mice, moles and insects 
hurtful to the farmer’s products. 
The eggs of our common oviparous snakes 
are a yellowish white in color and vary from 
1x4 inch, to the size of a pigeon’s egg. In 
form they are either irregularly elliptical or 
cylindrical. When cylindrical in form they 
have flat ends and several of them are con- 
nected by a thin thread-like skin about a half 
inch in length between each egg. The shell is 
a tough leathery skin, sometimes covered with 
small hard pimples. The number of eggs laid 
at one time varies with the species. My pets 
have laid from a dozen to as high as twenty- 
two eggs at one time.” 
“You are inclined to be skeptical in your ac- 
ceptance of reports that individuals of our com- 
mon snakes have been found with thirty or 
forty eggs?” 
“Such cases may occur, my Fritz. But in 
treating of the life habits of our snakes I speak 
of the rule and not of the rare exception. As 
there are strange and unusual births among 
the higher forms of animal life, so there may 
be ‘ freaks’ of Nature found in reptile life. I 
speak of what I know from my own personal 
observations. So follow me closely as I give 
