ZOOLOGICAL 
the long train of puzzles that confront scientific 
workers, comes the decision that the appalling 
spread and the great difficulty of eradicating 
the deadly bubonic plague, are evils traced di- 
rectly to that mean-tempered slinking creature 
that must be rated as one of the greatest pests 
of civilization. The decision is, that the rat is 
susceptible to plague infection, and is infested 
with fleas that are always quite willing to leave 
the original host, when the blood of the latter 
is well tenanted by the formidable bacilli, and 
add variety to their sanguinary instinct by biting 
members of the human family. The proboscis 
of an infected flea hypodermically transfers the 
plague culture to the human. Numerous reput- 
able writers have emphatically explained that 
the multiplication of the common rat menaces 
the world, and, if left unchecked, would mean 
And in the face 
of this, it appears unfortunate enough that many 
the annihilation of human life. 
common enemies of the rat are being persistently 
persecuted and exterminated. Among these are 
the snakes, hawks and owls. The reptiles are 
of especial importance owing to their prowling 
and subterraneous habits. They destroy the en- 
tire litters of young rodents in the nests, and a 
single snake may perform the work of a dozen 
hawks. 
While the ravages of the common rat may be 
rated as most formidable among the North 
American members of the Murid@, the rice-field 
rat, the cotton rat and the wood rats are other 
rodents that Nature must keep in constant check 
for the good of the great general scheme of life. 
This also relates to the innumerable species of 
mice. The rats and mice are well represented 
in the collection to which this article relates, as 
well as those curious gnawing animals known as 
the pocket mice, (Heteromyid@),and those ugly, 
strong-jawed creatures known as the pouched 
rats, or pocket gophers, Family Geomyide. 
RODENT DESTROYERS. 
In tiers of cages beneath those containing the 
rodents, we are now arranging the series of eco- 
nomically important serpents, the greater num- 
ber of these North American species, for the 
opening of this display. As enemies of the 
common rat, however, which dangerous pest has 
SOCIETY 
BULLETIN. 
extended its domain to all parts of the world, 
will be shown a series of rat-eating serpents 
from various widely separated parts of the 
globe. 
Among the North American serpents, one of 
the most useful species is the indigo snake, or 
gopher snake, (Spilotes corais couperi), a spe- 
cies confined to the southeastern portion of this 
country. It is a handsome, glossy, blue-black 
reptile, with a dash of red on the throat, attains 
a length of nine feet, and prefers rodents over 
all other prey. This fine and useful reptile 
should be protected by the state laws of South 
Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Texas, 
for several species of rats, besides the omnipres- 
ent domestic species, abound in those states. 
The Brazil 
through Central America, Mexico, thence into 
species ranges from northward 
the United States; the range in the latter fol- 
Central 
America the valuable habits of this rodent-de- 
lowing the east coastal region. In 
stroying reptile are well appreciated and the 
species is protected. 
In the western United States are several large 
and powerful serpents belonging to the genus 
The bull 
yellow gopher snake, (P. sayi), is the most 
widely distributed. 
feet and its color is yellow, with a chain of 
also called the 
Pituophis. snake, 
It attains a length of eight 
brownish dorsal saddles. It ranges over a great 
part of the country inhabited by the grain-de- 
stroying ground squirrels, where, together with 
hawks and several species of the carnivorous 
mammals, it constant warfare 
small wages 
against the small gnawing animals. The im- 
portance of the work performed by this serpent 
cannot be fully appreciated without due realiza- 
tion of the reptile’s habit of entering the deep 
burrows of the rodents and destroying whole lit- 
ters of young in the course of a meal. 
Among the serpents of marked economic im- 
portance inhabiting the United States east of 
the Mississippi and northward into the New 
England States, is the familiar blacksnake, or 
racer, (Zamenis constrictor), which is a busy 
The “milk” snake, (Ophi- 
bolus doliatus triangulus), sometimes called the 
destroyer of mice. 
checkered “adder,’—is of great value to the 
