33. PITUOPHIS 133 
hit it with his fork. As soon as I saw what he was doing 
I called him, but it was too late. I told him of the good 
the snake was doing and as he questioned it, I took the 
snake by the tail, made a whip cracker of it, [and killed it]. 
We took 35 small mice from its body. It seemed to like the 
very young mice best as nearly all of them were without 
hair, although some were one-third grown. This snake was 
five feet three inches long and was very large. 
“Just how many mice this snake was consuming daily 
is difficult to state, as digestion in reptiles usually proceeds 
more slowly than in the higher vertebrates. Nevertheless, 
observations generally have proved the beneficial habits of 
the Bull Snake, and every available source should be utilized 
in acquainting the public with these facts, as well as in afford- 
ing protection to this useful reptile.” 
163. Pituophis catenifer rutilus Van Denburgh 
ARIZONA GOPHER SNAKE 
Plate 78 
Pityophis bellona Core, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1866, p. 305. 
Pityophis sayi sayi Yarrow, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 24, 1883, p. 
105 (part); Core, Report U. S. Nat. Mus., for 1898, 1900, p. 870 
(part). 
Pityophis sayi bellona Core, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 1, 1875, p. 39 
(part); Cougs, Surv. W. rooth Merid., V, 1875, p. 617; Yarrow, 
Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 24, 1883, p. 106 (part); Cope, Proc. 
U.S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XIV, 1892, p. 641 (part); Cope, Report U.S. 
Nat. Mus., for 1898, 1900, p. 872 (part). 
Pituophis sayi VAN Densurcu, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., Ser. 2, Vol. VI, 
1896, p. 348. 
Pityophis catenifer bellona Brown, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1901 
p- 54 (part). 
Pituophis catenifer deserticola StE}NEGER, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 
XXV, 1892, p. 153; RurHven, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. 
XXIII, 1907, p. 584 (part); Stone, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 
1911, p. 232; Van DensurcH & SteEvin, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., 
Ser. 4, Vol. III, 1913, p. 418. 
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