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ord is the last week in May and the latest October 14. A large example 

 seen east of Lost Lake on the latter date was quite stupid and declined to 

 move. A 4-foot individual seen in Walley's woods was evidently blind, due 

 to shedding its skin which was so loose that it slipped off when the snake 

 was handled. The eyes were white, and the snake instead of seeing, appar- 

 ently listened. Another was seen in Walley's woods September 21, 1900. 

 On August 13, 1906, a very large one was seen half -concealed in the briars 

 near the ice-houses. When approached it made its tail rattle among the 

 dry leaves precisely like a rattlesnake. On August 14 ; 1906, a large one 

 was caught near Bass Lake. Another, 5 to 6 feet long, was seen in Walley's 

 cornfield September 20, 1907. It was coiled loosely at the base of a corn- 

 stalk and seemed disinclined to move, though it stuck out its tongue 

 repeatedly. 



This snake is usually lustrous blue-black or pitch-black above and 

 greenish below ; chin and throat white. Young olive, with rhomboid black 

 blotches. Body very slender ; eye large, scales in 17 or 19 rows ; ventral 

 plates 170 to 190. Length 4 to 5 feet. 



8. Lampropeltis doliatus (Linnaeus). 

 House Snake. 



This is the common house snake or milk snake so abundant in most of 

 the upper Mississippi Valley States. It does not appear to be very com- 

 mon, however, about Maxinkuckee. The only example seen by us was 

 obtained July 28, 1899, at our station near the Arlington Hotel. It is one 

 of the mildest and most useful of snakes and feeds largely upon the various 

 species of small noxious mammals. Its habits, however, are not entirely 

 beneficial, as it will, on occasion, eat such hens' eggs and birds' eggs as it 

 may find. 



We have never seen it swimming in the water and do not know wheth- 

 er it ever feeds on fishes or other aquatic animals. 



Color, grayish, with 3 series of brown, rounded blotches bordered with 

 black, about 50 in the dorsal row ; an arrow-shaped occiptal spot ; belly 

 yellowish-white, with square black blotches ; dorsal scales in 21 rows. In 

 the young the dorsal blotches are bright chestnut-red inside of the black 

 margins, and the spaces between are sometimes white or clear ash. 



