13. COLUBRID.^ 



nomic value. This appeals to many people who would 

 never admit the inhumanity of killing a snake. 



"This snake, sometimes called 'bull snake,' especially by 

 people who have just come from the East, is not in the least 

 poisonous, tho we have known large examples to inflict suf- 

 ficiently effective bites to draw blood. 



"This snake grows to large size; the largest specimens 

 which we have ourselves measured were 52, 58, and 62 

 inches long, respectively. Larger ones are often reported. 



"The gopher snake has the curious habit of vibrating its 

 tail rapidly when excited, and if it happens to be among 

 dry leaves or weed stems the sound is not unlike the whir 

 of the rattlesnake. 



"The gopher snake hides away during the winter months 

 in rock piles, and possibly in holes in the ground. We know 

 nothing of its breeding places or habits." (Grinnell and 

 Grinnell.) 



Mr. Paul Ruthling notes: "One 64-inch Pacific Bull 

 Snake that was brought to me was handled too much. A 

 slight touch of mal de mer resulted in his vomiting four 

 full-grown gophers, none of which was more than slightly 

 digested. On another occasion more than a dozen mice had 

 the misfortune to run foul of a mouse trap I had set for 

 living mice. These same mice had the additional misfor- 

 tune all to find their way into the stomach of a good-sized 

 hungry Pacific Bull Snake. 



"Taking it all in all, the good done by the Pacific Bull 

 Snake has already earned him the protection of many 

 ranchers and far outweights any harmful depredations his 

 lack of discretion may at times mislead him to make." 



