SNAKES. 55 



length of snakes generally, Dr. C. C. Abbott in one of 

 his charming books has well said: "that with "timid 

 people, a great deal depends upon the direction in 

 which the snake was moving at the time it was seen. 

 As an old, observing friend once said to me, ' When 

 snakes come towards folks, every foot looks a yard 

 long.' " 



One of the largest snakes found in Indiana is the 

 "pilot snake" or "black racer." It is often con- 

 founded with the true black snake 



or " blue racer," but has the scales in 

 Snake. 



25 to 29 rows instead of 17, those along 

 the middle of the back being obscurely keeled. In the 

 place of being uniformly black above, it usually has 

 some of .the scales white-edged, thus causing some fine 

 white mottlings on the upper side. 



The pilot snake at times grows to be six and one- 

 half feet long and the body is always much thicker 

 than that of a black snake of the same length. It 

 frequents dry, open woods and thickets, and more 

 often than any other of our snakes is seen in bushes, 

 and even in the tops of tall trees where it has climbed 

 by following the depressions in the rough bark. 

 Although its bite is harmless, yet it is, probably, our 

 most injurious snake on account of its liking for small 

 birds, which form one of its principal foods, and for 

 which it undoubtedly lies in wait in the bushes and 

 trees. Field mice and insects form also a large por- 

 tion of the food, so that it makes up in part for its 

 depredations among the birds. 



The young of the pilot snake are hatched from eggs 

 which are deposited by the mother in such places as 



