F>ROCEEDINOS 



OF THE 



CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



Fourth Series 

 Vol. IX, No. 6, pp. 197-220, pis. 11-13 August 21, 1919 



VI 



THE GOPHER-SNAKES OF WESTERN NORTH 

 AMERICA 



BY 



JOHN VAN DENBURGH 

 Curator, Department of Herpetology 



AND 



JOSEPH R. SLEVIN 

 Assistant Curator, Department of Herpetology 



The snakes of the genus Pifiiophis, commonly are called 

 gopher or bull snakes. They occur in the United States from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts. In the region lying west 

 of the Rocky Mountains they are widely distributed, and have 

 been taken in Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, 

 Oregon and California. Their range also includes Lower 

 California and certain of the coastal islands. 



Although herpetologists now generally agree that three 

 kinds of Pituophis occur in this western territory, the differ- 

 ential characters and the distribution of these forms never 

 have been clearly set forth. Further study of these snakes, 



August 21. 1919 



