540 



SNAKES. 



scarcely discernible. India and Australia abonml in 



species some of which (like the earth- 



^"iaS'v'^VJ.i worni8 'I' 1 '}' 80 nmch resemble) come 



Am. JU-p ) above ground at certuin times, and are 



then surprisingly :icti\i'. Tro]>ical 



America and Mexico Inivo quite n number of species. 



Mi*asi.<in<i tin'.,-,: is a s|K>cios found in Texas, having 



the eye tolerably conspicuous. 



The Colubriform snakes constitnte a suborder 

 embracing nearly all the harmless snakes (other tlian 

 the blind-worms), as well as a certain number of 

 venomous species. Many of our common non- 

 venomous snakes are exceedingly useful as destroy. 

 ers of noxious insects (such as ticks and beetles), as 

 well as rats, mice, and gophers. The Uropcltida>, 

 or shield-tails (all South Asiatic), are noteworthy as 

 having the h.ibit and app.> .irunee of "blind-worms." 

 The small family Tortricidm are also borrowers ; 

 a:i.l they are remarkable for the rudimentary pelvis, 

 with a pair of small claw-like hind limbs. Tortrix 

 sci/lnle, from the Amazon valley, is handsomely col- 

 ored, and, even while alive, it is often used by the 

 natives as a necklace. 



To the family of Calamariidso, or " dwarf -snakes," 

 are assigned a very large number of small, semi- 

 subterranean larva-devouring species of many gen- 

 era. They are generally to ba found under" loose 

 stones and logs. Among our common American 

 kinds is the timid and inoffensive V'irginin striolnln, 

 with the back of a brownish tint, and the belly of a 

 salmon-red; it is common southward. CurplintMs 

 anoenn is the "ground -snake" or "thunder-snake," 

 familiar to every ploughboy, a subterraneous snake, 

 perfectly harmless, and very awkward and slow in 

 its movements. It is also brown, with a salmon- 

 colored belly. Tlie.ro are a good many other Ameri- 

 can forms, especially in the tropical regions. 



To the great family of the Coronellidao belong sev- 

 eral of the largest and best known K>'rjx'nts iu the 

 country, such as the Ophiholtis trinnffiildtiut, known as 

 the milk-snake, house-snake, or " checkered adder," 

 and the chain-snake or king-snake of the South, th-> 

 O. g'tiiltu, and the well known ring-snake, 7)/'</'/o/>///.* 

 piiii-.-tfitia. Hero also belongs the hog-uosed snake, 

 or sand-viper, ffitTodon p'rili/rhinitx, rather num- 

 erous in sandy regions. It is a slow creature, of 

 repulsive appearance and fierce aspect, hissing loud- 

 lv when disturbed ; but it is perfectly harmless. 

 There are several o'hers of its genus in this country. 



Among the members of the great, yet not fully spe- 

 cialized, family of t!u> ColiihridiB, many North Amer- 

 ican snakes are placed. The green-snake or grass- 

 snake, Cycliiphi* . of the United S:.. 

 very common. esp^-ully in Now England. It is 

 very often fimud in th:> tall gra ;i among the 

 branches of shrubs. It is gen -rally very ge; 

 its habits, but will occasionally show iii^h', indicting 

 trifling wotinds with its teeth. The members of this 

 genus, like the more strictly arb ir-al hush-colubers, 

 are more frequent in America than in the old world. 

 The mountain black-snake, GJn'itr tJixiilrtiix, having 

 keeled scales, is a large snake found chiefly along 

 the Alleghani.'S. <'. rfiiltdl'iM, tho brightly "colored 

 corn-snake of the S mth, in most active after dark. 

 >'. jHtidrMUftttU, calle.l chicken-snake, often enters 

 human dwellings of the humbler sort, nnd does g 

 by killing rats and mice ; like o'hers of its genus it 

 often destroys young chickens. (\ vulpinti*, the 

 fox-snake, has a rather wide range. Tho common 

 block-snake, /' n -uninn rn.i*tri"t"i\ has one of the 

 widest geographical inni/ci of any known spp< 

 The swift, bold, and active creature will fight bnr 

 if brought to a pass whence there is i 

 and many stories are told of its fierceness and intre- 

 pidity, some of which, like too many snake-stories, 

 are no doubt exaggerations. Though not venomous 

 the black-snake fights and destroys the more slug- . 



' gish rattlesnake. B. JtagtUifarmis, the long, swift, 

 and harmless, though much dreaded, coach-whip 

 snake, is very common in the South-eastern .- 

 B. tenintum has a wide Western range. A green .spe- 

 cies of Bascanion is mentioned as occasionally shar- 

 ing the hospitalities of the prairie-dog's burrow, to- 

 gether with the rattlesnake and the burrowiug-owl. 

 The Fresh-water colubrine snakes are exceedingly 

 well represented in North America. Trujii'- 

 sipedon is one of our commonest water-snakes, if, in- 

 deed, it be not the commonest of North American 

 serpents. There are a dozen other American species 

 of this genus. They feed largely on fish, frogs, and 

 tadpoles. Country-people usually consider them 

 venomous, probably on account of their belligerent 

 spirit when captured. The garter-snake genus (Eu- 

 ttrnia) is represented here by some 20 recognized 

 species. K. miurilit and E. sorlnlit are our common- 

 est garter-snakes. The latter has little fondness for 

 the water. It is often found near piles of decaying 

 chips nnd saw-dust, where it feeds upon larva 1 and 

 wood-ticks. It is harmless, but will som. 

 fight bravely. Stareria nccipitomiKidnUi and S'. rW-./i.-i 

 are small species and not uncommon norths a: >1. 

 The so-called Hoop M:ahe. j-i/l/ir<H/r<imni!t, 



is a common species in the Southern ami 'NY- 

 States. The prevalent belief that it can take its tail 

 in its month and roll along the ground like a hoop 

 is entirely incorrect. The horn-snake of the South 

 iii uliin'iirii, a species much resembling tho 



hoop-snnke. Tho water-snakes of the family Uo- 

 malopsidse are represented in the U. S. by the genus 

 ll-'/ifnpx, one species of which has been found iu 

 Florida. 



Of the "night tree-snakes" (Dipsadidie), one 

 species of DfptfU is found in Texas and Arizona, rep- 

 resenting a remarkable nnd widely disseminated 

 genus. The species are generally long and slender. 

 The name IHpims is Greek, and signifies "thirsty" ; 

 the ancients believed that the snake of this name hod 

 an unquenchable thirst which it imparted to tlioso 

 who were bitten by it. It is needless to add that 

 this belief was rot founded upon facts. The great 

 black gopher-snake, or indigo-snake of the Southern 

 cotton-belt (Fpilotes cmiperi), is said to attain tho 

 length of 12 feet. It is bold and active and is be- 

 i'Vve.l occasionally to occupy the same burrow with 

 on" or more of the larger tortoises (also locally 

 culled " gophers " or burrowers). This genus is 

 chiefly South American. The common pine-snake 

 or bnll-suako of tho east (Pityopliis melmntliircut) is 

 n large and very swift creature, common in pine- 

 . P. bellotia is a veiy common and important 

 Western form, which is not only harmless but ex- 

 ceedingly useful as a vermin-destroyer. The swift 

 and spiteful snake > of the genus Droniicus are com- 

 mon in tropical America, and D.flaTtlatut is spar- 

 ingly found in the cotton -growing States. It is 

 grouped with the semi-arboreal colubrines. The truo 

 :ikes, or Dendrophidac, are very abundant in 

 tropical America, and a few species are Mexican. 

 Tli" Mryophidii', or whip-snakes, are very slender 

 tropical forms, some of them American. A few of the 

 ScytulidiB are Mexican, and others are South Amer- 

 ican. 



The family of Amblycepbalidas, or blunt-heads 

 (ehielly East Indian), has several South American 

 representative's. 



To tho Krycidin, or sand-snakes, mostly old-world 



forms with some boa-like features, belong 



several American genera ; and Charina, Wenmm, and 



Lir/niHura are strictly North American forms, pre- 



sent ing many ]>oint* of interest to the naturalist. 



The very remarkable old-world family Pythonidra 

 has but a single known American representative a 

 little known and very singular species of Lnxoctmu*. 

 On the contrary, the Boidie (excepting a few Poly- 



