10 



THE PINE SNAKE OF NEW JERSEY. 



determined only by dissections of the posterior parts. Thi 

 ty may be compensa 



i of defence for an animal r 



arally timid. And may it not be also for sexual attraction? In 

 this particular it is probable the pine snake is not singular, and it 

 is likely that where this function is feeble in the other snakes, it 

 is strong enough for the latter purpose. A man very much beyond 

 the average intelligence and education, a teacher in the Pines, 

 said to me " I once saw a black snake come out of the woods into 

 the soft sandy road ; and it acted precisely as a dog does that is 

 nosing out a scent. The snake came to a snake's track in the 

 sand. It at once put itself in the track, and began to follow it ; 

 when, seeing me, it turned off to the woods and got away." 



As is well known, the capacity of abstinence from food is 

 remarkable among the serpents. Late in September, 1874, I 

 killed a mouse, and gave to the female Pituophis. She seized it, - 

 gave it the usual squeeze, then swallowed it, taking just th e min- 

 utes for the latter task. The next day I gave her another dead 

 mouse, with exactly the same results. This was the first time 

 that she had broken fast since September, 1873, — just one year 

 before ! 



She had in the previous year on one occasion eaten a good-sized 

 rat, that was given her dead, taking eighteen minutes for the oper- 

 ation. And I must mention here that I have known the Flat-head 

 Adder or Blowing Viper, Heterodon phi / '/rhinos, to eat the heads 

 of the common eel, left on the shore by the fisherman. So that 

 the assertion that snakes will not take food that they have not 

 killed themselves, is not in all cases correct. 



Late in August, 1873, I noticed that the snake seemed sickly. 

 The dim, horny look of the eyes told the reason. She was nearly, 

 if not quite, blind ; and was about to cast off her old skin, lo 

 me, this was a time of anxiety, I was so anxious to witness an 

 operation which I had never seen. On the 30th, owing to a rest- 

 less mVht from illness, I rose later than usual. Went diivcth io 

 the snake box-what a disappointment ! The snake ha-' 



skin, and was now all aglow in her 



I was struck 



with the wonderful clearness of the eyes, and was renin 

 the shoreman's slang, as previously given. I now saw a i 

 nificance in their vulgar speech ; and it occurred to me thi 

 a poor ophthalmic sufferer would rejoice if he could thus € 



