33. PITUOPHIS 723 
snake an efficient destroyer of those pests of the farm, 
gophers and squirrels, and accordingly seldom offer injury 
willfully. 
“But with city people who now and then drive into the 
country it is different. The gopher snake has an unfortunate 
habit of crawling out into open roads, especially on warm 
spring days, evidently with the purpose of basking in the 
grateful sunshine. Along comes the city man with his instinc- 
tive but unreasonable fear and hatred for snakes in general, 
and he attacks the harmless and slow-moving gopher snake 
to the usual destruction of the latter. So often one sees the 
mangled remains along roadsides that it seems a wonder that 
there are any gopher snakes whatever left. 
“Tt is very evident that snakes are far less common than 
they used to be 20 years ago; at the same time gophers and 
ground squirrels are in many districts more of a pest than 
ever before; and the reason is obvious. In commendable 
contradistinction to the deplorable thoughtlessness of the 
average person is the good sense of the occasional farmer 
who actually invites the gopher snakes to make their homes 
on his land. We know of a few such who bring to their 
ranches every snake they can readily capture. And we have 
been repeatedly assured that many an old gopher who had 
proved too wise for traps and apparently immune to poison, 
had finally met his Waterloo in the long gullet of a gopher 
snake. 
“The snake is introduced into the burrow of the rodent 
and disappears. In a few hours he reappears, languidly 
crawling into the sunshine, while a huge bulge about two- 
thirds the way along his mottled body gives proof of what 
has happened down in the dark underground galleries. 
“The school teachers and pupils of the county can do 
a good turn by advertising the good services of snakes in 
general, recommending their protection on grounds of eco- 
