REPTILES. 



377 



the head, so that the hair will not interfere with the operation. Then one 

 of the jaws is moved as far forward as possible, when the sharp teeth take 

 hold of the skin, and thus prevent the object from slipping out while the 

 other jaw is extended in the same manner. Thus the process goes on. 

 sometimes taking hours before it is accomplished, and then the snake 

 creeps away to some protected spot to digest its enormous meal at leisure. 

 All of these large forms lay eggs, and it is said that in some instances they 

 actually incubate them by covering them with the coils of the body. 



In our own latitudes we have none of these large snakes ; but we do 

 have a large number of forms of much smaller size, some of which offer 



Fig. 339. — Chain-snake (Ophiobolus yetulus). 



some points of interest. Among them occurs the familiar chain-snake, — 

 the king-snake of the south. It is really a pretty species, its deep, lustrous 

 black being crossed by a number of narrow yellow or white rings. By the 

 negroes it is regarded with a good deal of respect, for they regard it as the 

 actual king of all snakes. It is especially valuable for its destruction of 

 rattlesnakes, a habit it shares with several other forms. It is swift in its 

 movements, and when it sees a rattler, it makes a dart for its neck, grasps 

 it tightly with its teeth, and then quickly wraps the coils of its body 

 around its victim, and actually crushes it to death. Rattlesnakes know 

 their danger, and strive to escape from this fearless foe. 



