24. LICHANURA 635 
and placed it with the snake. Almost instantly it began to be 
active. The snake deliberate normally became animated. Soon 
it seized the mouse on the side of the body. Then it began to 
coil itself about the animal. When the prey was sufficiently 
held by the coils the snake released its mouth hold and felt 
along the body and head until it seized the mouse between 
the eyes as in the house mouse. Then it began to crush the 
creature with its coils. But this mouse it also did not eat. In 
either case it was not the size which was responsible for the 
non-completion of the process, as was later revealed. 
“Our main objective was to make it feed. In two nesting 
boxes were young English sparrows of which we wished to 
dispose. We placed one in the cage. Instantly the snake 
seized it by the body, coiled about it, released mouth hold, 
sought the head, began crushing with coils and finally began 
swallowing the bird quite rapidly for a snake. There were 
practically no feathers on the bird. Thereafter it ate young 
English sparrows. It usually went through the process we 
have described, a truly constrictor habit. Rarely, however, 
it would seize the bird by leg or head and swallow it at once 
with no coiling about the bird at all. Is its natural habit 
feeding on young birds of the desert? 
“As a pet I consider it the finest native snake of the states. 
It is gentle, never bites, is clean and glossy of skin, coils into 
a ball or up the arm and is a beautifully patterned snake. 
This individual was befriended by the whole neighborhood 
of children.” 
