562 COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



being held down by a portion of the body during the process. 

 Black-snakes prefer dry and open situations, especially at the 

 edge of meadows. They are partial to birds' eggs and young, 

 but also devour mice, frogs, and various other small animals. 

 Their eggs to the number of a dozen or more are deposited in 

 June or July, usually under a stone or in soft, moist soil. 



The king-snakes belong to the genus Ophibolus. They are of 

 various sizes, are constrictors, and have received their common 

 name because they prey on other snakes. Of the seven species 

 occurring in the United States, the milk-snake, 0. doliatus variety 

 triangulus, the scarlet king-snake or " coral-snake," 0. doliatus 

 variety coccineus, and the common king-snake, 0. getulus, are of 

 special interest. 



The milk-snake derives its name from its supposed habit of 

 stealing milk from cows. This is not true, since rats and mice 

 are its principal articles of food. The color of this variety is 

 gray above, with brownish saddle-shaped blotches on the back, 

 and smaller blotches on the sides. It averages about three feet in 

 length, and is oviparous. 



The scarlet king-snake or " coral-snake " is a small variety 

 about a foot long. It is ringed with bright bands of scarlet, 

 yellow, and black, causing it to resemble the venomous coral- 

 snake, Elaps fulvius (see p. 564). 



The common king-snake or chain-snake is a heavy-bodied 

 constrictor of the eastern United States. Other snakes, both 

 harmless and venomous species, and field mice, are squeezed to 

 death and devoured by it. King-snakes are immune to venom 

 and do not hesitate to attack rattlesnakes, water-moccasins, 

 and copperheads. The length of an average adult is about five 

 feet. 



The hog-nosed snakes of the genus Heterodon are represented 

 in Xorth America by three species popularly known as " puff- 

 adders," " spreading vipers," or " blow snakes." The common 

 hog-nosed snake, Heterodon platyrhinus, inhabits dry, sandy 

 places over most of the United States east of the Rocky Moun- 



