*9°5\ Bkimley— Feeding Habits of Reptiles. 151 



which 1 had placed in the same box with it crushing it to 

 death in a U-shaped fold of the snake's body. These snakes 

 all swallow their food in precisely the same way as the Spread- 

 ing- Adder, which is the usual method with snakes. The con- 

 stricting power of the genera Ophibolus and Coluber is much 

 greater than those of the genus Bascanion (Black Snakes and 

 Coachwhips). 



Of the amount of food consumed by snakes I have four rec- 

 ords. The first is that of a poisonous snake, a Copperhead 

 (Ancistroden contortrix) an average sized adult, which grew 

 fat and improved greatly on the following diet: 1897, Aug 7, 

 small bird; Aug 12, ditto; Aug 19, ditto; Aug 25, ditto; Aug 

 30, 1 mouse, Sep 10, 14, and 19, one small Cotton Rat on each 

 date. In 44 days it ate nine times, never eating more than 

 one small bird or animal on any one day, though more than 

 that number were sometimes offered it. All the specimens 

 were dead. The snake improved in girth and color and some 

 chafed places on its neck entirely disappeared. 



The second record is that of a 33 inch Rat Snake or Spot- 

 ted Racer (Coluber guttatus) which did well on the following 

 rations: — 1897, July 29, one bat; Aug. 7, one small bird; Aug. 

 10, 12, 17, and 19, one bat on each date; Aug. 23, one small 

 bird; Aug. 30, one bat; Sep. 14, one mouse; Sep. 20, one shrew 

 In 54 days it ate ten times, in 31 days it ate seven times. 



The third and fourth records are of the Spreading Adders, 

 one of which ate ten toads from Aug 6 to Sep 11, 1897 (ten 

 toads in 86 days,) and another twelve toads from Ang 6 to 

 Sep 9, 1897 (twelve toads in 34 days). 



The food of the various species of snake that have come 

 under my notice is as follows, so far as my observations go, — 



Spreading Adder \Heterodon Platyrhinus)'. toads (Bufo)only, 



Water Snake (Natrix sipedori)'. fish, toads. 



Garter Snakes (Eutaenia sirtalis)-. toads. 



Ribbon Snake (Eutaenia saurtta): small frogs, small sala- 

 manders. 



Chicken Snakes {Coluber obsoletus, C. o., confinis, C. o., 



