48. CROTALUS 941 
were able to hold the snake in our hands, with as much 
safety as if it had been muzzled. Snakes have a way of 
swallowing things much larger than their heads; their jaws 
are pliable, and almost stretchable! But they always swal- 
low their prey head first. Two other rattlers examined 
contained each a full-grown gopher (Thomomys). Another 
had swallowed a chipmunk (Eutamias merriami). 
“A rattlesnake collected at Bluff Lake, in the San Ber- 
nardino Mountains, July 21, 1905, measuring 42 inches in 
length, contained two chipmunks (Eutamias speciosus). 
These were tandemly aligned in the alimentary canal, nearer 
the vent than the mouth of the snake. The hindmost chip- 
munk was almost completely dissolved, hair and bones as 
well as the flesh having softened into a pasty mass, save for 
parts of the head, ears, and teeth. The digestive powers of 
snakes are truly astonishing. 
“Were it not for the danger from its bite, the rattle- 
snake would be a desirable resident of any ranch where 
gophers and squirrels prove a nuisance. 
“There are lots of interesting things to be learned about 
rattlesnakes in their native haunts, and we would urge 
students having the opportunity to avail themselves of it 
by finding out everything possible. The only danger we 
can conceive of, that when a rattler may be stepped upon 
unawares, is past as soon as you have caught sight of the 
reptile. You are at once on your guard. Retain your com- 
mon sense. Don’t go into hysterics and think you must 
batter the snake to death at once. For it won’t run after 
you! Exercise reasonable caution, give your curiosity full 
sway, and see what you can find out. There are dozens of 
deaths in southern California every year, from the accidental 
discharge of guns. And yet no one treats a gun as he does a 
rattler! Let us find out more of all our native animals, 
