SERPENTS. 367 



to the Pacific. The general form is greatly elongated, resembling in this respect some 

 of the Dendrophidae, as specimens are sometimes six feet in length. They are most 

 beautiful animals, and so fleet in their movement as to almost fly over the ground. 

 Though ordinarily inoffensive, on being attacked they defend themselves with vigor. 

 Batram, in his " Ti-avels in Carolina," speaks of once finding a hawk so wound up by 

 one of these serpents as to be rendered almost helpless. The name ' coach-whip ' is 

 not given because of the elongated body, but from the arrangement of the juxtaposed 

 caudal scales, which resemble a braided raw-hide whip. Catesby mentions a peculiar 

 belief, among the Indians, that the snake will, by a jerk of its tail, separate a man in 

 two parts ; and the negroes of the south, to-day believe that it can flagellate a man 

 to death. Ji. teniaium is found from the plains to the Pacific. "While H. constric- 

 tor has the scales of the back in seventeen rows, JB. teniatum has them in fifteen, and 

 is, moreover, ornamented with a brown dorsal band and with lateral lines of orange, 

 red, or yellow. The inferior surface is anteriorly spotted with brown. 



The genus Spilotes is represented in North America by two species which differ 

 from the members of the previous genus in having the teeth equal and smooth — the 

 ' black-snakes ' have them larger posteriorly. S. couperi inhabiting the Gulf states 

 and Georgia, from its enormous size, is the most interesting form. In coloring it is of 

 a deep black, shading into yellow on the throat. It is known by the negroes as the 

 indigo or gopher-snake, and, though sometimes reaching the enormous length of ten 

 feet, it is never molested by them, as they suppose it to be, like the 'king-snake (Ophio- 

 bolus getulus), a mortal enemy to the rattler. 



Pityophis has the scales keeled, the nasal plate divided, and the last abdominal 

 plate entire. P. melanoleucus, the pine or bull-snake, is found east of the Mississippi 

 and south of the Ohio rivers, and it is particularly fond of the pine forests. Though 

 one of the largest North American serpents, it is extremely active, disappearing almost 

 instantly on being surprised, though this may be due to the fact that it not unfre- 

 quently has underground holes into which it retreats, and from the immediate vicinity 

 of which it seldom journeys. To obtain its prey it chooses a likely locality, and waits 

 in patience for some unsuspecting rabbit or squirrel to pass by. P. hellona inhabits 

 the west, feeding, as do many of the genus, on mice, gophers, and other small vermin, 

 and doing, in this way, immense benefit to the agricultural interests, as the gophers, as 

 well as other small rodents, are perfect pests of the western farmer. The western bull- 

 snake not unfrequently exceeds the length of six feet, but it is of a peaceful disposi- 

 tion. Captured individuals of this species have been known, even when concealed, to 

 attract others. It is not an unusual occurrence for the mate of a serpent which has 

 been killed to search for, find the body, even when it has been dragged for some dis- 

 tance, and remain by it apparently with a feeling of sorrow if not of revenge. 



The Indian rat-snake, Ptyas mucosus, is very abundant in southern India and 

 Ceylon, where it often enters human dwellings while in pursuit of rats or chickens. It 

 is always ready, on the slightest irritation, to bite, and, as it grows to a considerable size, 

 often reaching seven feet in length, it gives considerable annoyance to the natives. 

 When angry, the rat-snake is said to produce a peculiar musical note not unlike that of 

 a tuning-fork. In general structure it resembles our common black-snakes. 



The genus Dromiscus is common in the West Indies, South America, and Mexico. 

 A single species, D. flavilatus, has been found in the southeastern United States, 

 there being in the National Museum a single specimen from Florida, and a second 

 from North Carolina. D. ater is the 'gray-snake' of Jamaica, and is often seen about 



