58 GLEANINGS FROM NATURE. 



generally accepted authority on snakes, evidently try- 

 ing to excel some newspaper reporter in the produc- 

 tion of a snake story, avers that : " By suddenly 

 springing upon and encircling the rattle-snake with 

 its coils, the king snake soon squeezes the venomous 

 reptile to death. Then, commencing at the head, the 

 victor swallows the rattler whole." 



The last species which belongs to the group of black 



snakes is the horn Bn&kQ^Farancia tf6ac?mz(Holbrook). 



It is said to be rather common in the southwestern 



States, but in Indiana has been taken only near 



Wheatland,Knox County. It is a handsome species, 



as handsome goes among snakes, being blue-black 



above with about sixty squarish red 



! e or spots on the sides. These, in some 



specimens, extend nearly to the middle 



of the back. Beneath, it is red, blotched with black. 



The scales are smooth and in nineteen rows. 



Having never met with this species alive, I can say 

 but little of its habits. According to its first describer, 

 it is shy and lives in swampy ground and damp thick- 

 ets. It reaches a length of four feet or more. People 

 in the southern half of the State should be on the 

 lookout for it, and if a specimen is secured it should 

 be sent to the State Museum or presented to some 

 school which will preserve it for future reference. 



Group III. Spotted Snakes. 



Among the harmless snakes occurring in Indiana, 

 which are usually found at some distance from water, 

 are four species of medium or large size which are 



