SNAKES. 59 



distinctly spotted throughout their entire lives. One 

 of the most handsome of these, and one quite fre- 

 quently met with in dry, upland woods, and ahout 

 country houses and barns, is the " spotted adder," 

 Ophibolus doliatus triangulus (Boie.), "house snake," 

 "milk snake," "thunder and lightning snake," or 



almost anything else one may wish to 



The House or n it ag it ig creature of many 



Milk Snake. f .. , _ J 



names, of which the above are the 



most common. It varies much in color, but is 

 usually grayish with three rows of brick-red, black- 

 bordered blotches on the back and sides ; the larger 

 ones saddle-shaped and alternating with the smaller, 

 the latter being often wholly black. There is usually 

 a light colored arrow-shaped spot back of the head, 

 while beneath, the body is checkered with black and 

 creamy white. The scales are smooth and in 21 rows. 

 The young are hatched from eggs which are about 

 two inches long and a little more than an inch in 

 diameter. During the first year of their lives they 

 are often found beneath the loose bark of logs and 

 stumps, where they are doubtless seeking the crickets, 

 cockroaches and other insects which have there their 

 abiding places. 



The house snake sometimes reaches a length of 

 four feet, and when disturbed resents only by darting 

 out its forked tongue and giving an occasional vibra- 

 tion of its tail. Its usual food consists of mice, rats, 

 and such unfortunate toads as happen in its way, 

 except in grasshopper season, when it feasts to its 

 stomach's content upon those festive insects. It is 

 often found about spring houses where milk is kept, 



