88 SERPENTS 



it has a very odd but intelligent trick. It swallows an egg 

 whole, and after it has passed a few inches down the throat, 

 where it forms a large swelling, the serpent lifts its head, 

 elevates its back, and exerts downward pressure directly upon 

 the egg until the shell breaks! 



A striking peculiarity of the Pine Snake is found in the 

 structure of its epiglottis, first observed and described by 

 Dr. C, A. White, by means of which the hiss of this creature 

 is so loud and so well sustained that it is like the hiss of red- 

 hot iron in water. The maximum length of this snake is 

 about 7^2 feet. Its ground-color is whitish, the head is spotted 

 with black, and along the back there is a series of about 

 twenty-four very large brown patches, margined with black. 

 Sometimes these blotches of color take shape as bands. The 

 abdomen is dull yellow, with blackish-brown patches. 



THE BLACK SNAKE of the East is a serpent of narrow 

 form, but wide distribution. Westward it changes color, and 

 is known at first as the BLUE RACER, and then as the GREEN 

 RACER. Although its Latin name is Za-me'nis con-stric'tor, 

 it is not a constrictor, it is badly misnamed, it is perfectly 

 harmless to man and its bite is never more than a mere 

 scratch. It is very cowardly, and will leap wildly from the 

 edge of a rock or a steep bank in order to escape. If cornered, 

 it makes a fierce but often absurd fight, sometimes becoming 

 so frantic that it bites its own body. (R. L. Ditmars.) 



This snake is a good climber, swims well, and is active 

 and quick in movement, but it has no real power to speak 

 of. It is not an enemy of the rattlesnake, as many persons 

 suppose, but it devours snakes that are smaller and weaker 



