ZOOLOGICAL 
656 
TYPE OF REPTILE CAGE. 
Economic Rodent-Reptile Series. 
milk from the 
and the reason why it so persistently haunts 
farmer. It never steals cows, 
the neighborhood of the barns is to prey upon 
the small injurious mammals that collect in such 
places, and which constantly elude the traps of 
the farmer, who chafes under the constant an- 
noyance of finding his grain sacks being gnawed 
full of holes, and his fodder riddled by mice, 
voles and rats. 
The pilot blacksnake, (Coluber obsoletus), 
and the pine snake, (Pituophis melanoleucus ), 
are other economically valu- 
able reptiles of the eastern 
states, and in the southern 
part of that region. Rang- 
ing from central North 
Carolina southward, we find 
the (Coluber 
guttatus), and other species 
of the Coluber, the 
coachwhip snake, (Zamenis 
corn snake, 
genus 
flagelliformis), besides a 
number of species of ground 
snakes that prowl into the 
burrows of mice and voles, 
and destroy the young. All 
of the serpents mentioned 
will be represented in our 
series of the snakes rated as 
SOCIETY 
BULLETIN. 
of economic importance in 
this country, and moreover, 
all are absolutely innocuous. 
While the poisonous snakes 
are also constant destroyers 
of rodents, and assigned to 
the scheme of Nature for 
some specific purpose, it is 
of course imperative, owing 
to the advance of civilization 
and the danger man is ex- 
posed to in coming in con- 
tact with them, that they 
must The 
slaughter of the harmless 
go. senseless 
snakes, however, should be 
as effectively stopped as the 
wanton killing of birds. And 
to counteract, if possible, a very silly prejudice 
that has prevailed in Nature since the tale of 
“Eve” 
gestions in preparing the series under discussion. 
and the “apple,’ was one of the sug- 
To fully demonstrate that Nature has her 
own ideas in establishing a balance in animate 
will 
snake-killing mammals. In the 
creation, we exhibit several species of 
United States 
the chief enemies of the larger snakes in the 
wilds, are eagles, hawks and owls. In certain 
areas adjacent to cultivated regions, domestic 
fi 
were Ty TT Ty Tt 
TT ee 
TYPE OF RODENT CAGE. 
Economic Rodent-Reptile Series. 
