THE SNAKES 275 



of Scarlet Snake bodies left by the shrikes was a tip to 

 the writer. We started in to tear the bark from every 

 dead tree in our way. In such places do these little 

 snakes pass most of their time. When the day closed 

 we had a bag well filled with the desired specimens. As 

 the bark is torn away from a rotting trunk, uncovering 

 the dark, mouldy pulp beneath, a Scarlet Snake is the 

 most inappropriate of objects for such surroundings, 

 appealing to one, as a romantic assistant declared, like a 

 fairy's lost necklace. 



Cyclophis and Liopeltis, genera represented in Asia 

 and North America, contain mostly uniform green spe- 

 cies. Two of the most dainty of the serpents of the 

 United States are the Green Snakes, CyclopMs cestivus 

 and Liopeltis vernalis. The former has keeled scales 

 and is restricted to the Southern States ; the latter ranges 

 from the New England States to the South and over a 

 large part of North America ; its scales are smooth. A 

 uniform, livid leaf green renders a specimen difficult 

 to see. Stone piles and the bushes at the edges of 

 meadows are the favorite lurking places. Curious 

 among snakes are the feeding habits of both Cyclophis 

 and Liopeltis; they are insectivorous. Smooth-bodied 

 caterpillars, crickets, grasshoppers and spiders are pre- 

 ferred. They will not eat earthworms. In the vivarium 

 the Green Snakes are easily fed and hardy. They can- 

 not be induced to bite. Both are oviparous. The 

 young of L. vernalis are blue-black for the first few 

 months. 



Before leaving the Colubrince it is appropriate to men- 

 tion a beautiful serpent of the southeastern United 

 States. This is the Rainbow Snake, Abastor erythro- 

 grammus. Five-foot examples, two inches in diameter, 

 are common in Florida. On a lustrous purplish body- 



