ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



353 



THE RARE STILUSOMA EXTENUATUM. 



All of the snakes were caught by pinning 

 the head to the ground under a curved stick, 

 after which the reptile was picked up by the 

 neck — by hand — and dropped into a canvas 

 bag. The entire catch is now on exhibition 

 in one of the large cages on the main iloor of 

 the Reptile House. r. l. d. 



A RARE FLORIDA SNAKE. 



AMONG the North American reptiles there 

 are several strikingly distinct species of 

 ■ serpents, each represented in the collec- 

 tions of all our nuiseums by a total of from 

 one to, possibly, six specimens only. With 

 several of these, however, the apparent scarc- 

 ity of examples may be traced to the inac- 

 cessibility of the habitat. There are several 

 localities in the southwestern portion of the 

 L'nited States, which, if well worked by sys- 

 tematic collectors, would undoubtedly yield an 

 interesting harvest of these supposedly rare 

 creatures. 



We have an exception to the conditions 

 cited, in a small snake known technically as 

 Stilosoina c.vtciiiiafinn. This reptile was orig- 

 inally described by Mr. Arthur Erwin Brown, 

 Director of the Zoological Gardens, in Phila- 

 delphia. The original description was made 

 in 1890, and the type specimens were taken 

 in a part of Florida { Marion and Orange 

 Counties), well investigated by col.lectors. 

 Yet, since that time, the total number of speci- 

 mens known to have reached museum collec- 

 tion has been only ten. Mr. Brown explains 

 the distribution of these specimens as follows : 

 Seven specimens are in Philadelphia, in the 

 Academy of Sciences and Mr. Brown's collec- 



tion, one is in the National Museum, another 

 is in the British Museum and another prob- 

 ably is in the museum at Upsala, Sweden. 



In a shipment of snakes from Orlando, 

 IHorida, received a month ago at the Reptile 

 Mouse, two specimens of the rare Stilosoma 

 cvtciinatmii were discovered. Thev are ap- 

 parently mature, and in perfectly healthy con- 

 dition. Owing to their degenerate make-up. 

 this being especially evident by their small 

 c\es and the simplified scalation of the head, 

 they were placed in a cage containing a layer 

 iif wood pulp, affording them a medium in 

 which to burrow. They appeared continually 

 uneasy and very active, boring their way out 

 nf sight to soon reappear some distance away, 

 when they would ascend the branches of a 

 small bush within the cage with a suppleness 

 of motion surprising for burrowing reptiles — 

 yet natural enough owing to their strangely 

 elongated bodies. When handled these little 

 snakes show none of the stiffness usually char- 

 acteristic of burrowing serpents, but coil about 

 one's fingers, or draw the body into a compact 

 ball. Such actions point to powers of con- 

 striction, and may enable the species to over- 

 power and eat other small snakes, such as 

 Diadophis, Cemophora, Virginia and Haldea, 

 as well as the ground lizard, Lygosoma. Thus 

 far neither specimen has been induced to feed. 

 Both appear strikingly similar in coloration 

 to very young specimens of the corn snake. 

 Coluber giittatus, for which they were for a 

 moment mistaken, as the writer went hur- 

 riedly over the contents of the shipment. In 

 distributing the various reptiles composing the 

 shipments, the writer was attracted by the 

 small heads of the present specimens, and an 

 examination at once disclosed their identity. 



R. L. D. 



BOBBING FOR EELS. 



BOBBING for eels commences about the 

 middle of April in the vicinity of New 

 York. Eels are generally out of the mud 

 l)y that time, roaming Over the flats looking 

 for food, being very hungry after their long 

 winter hibernation. They afford good sport for 

 those who know how to get it, and this is the 

 method of procedure : The "bobber" digs a 

 c|uart of sandworms out of the "flats" at low 

 tide, which he strings on linen thread with a 

 long needle, running it through the entire 

 length of each worm. After the thread, which 

 is ten or fifteen feet long, is full of worms, and 

 the ends are secured, it is wound around the 

 hand, forming a "hank," through which a fish- 



