, 1881-10-01
SNAKES IN CALIFORNIA.
some Peculiar Specimens DercrIbc4l-
'FnrnftttiiaH-rhv Trap- Ntpnr Spider
nsld His lbOnlcNtlu Troubles.

Some Peculiar Spcclmclla nercrIbc4i-
'Fnrattsillas-rIY Trap-llunr spider
mud His lbOlis~tln rrotlt,les.
:Asn FrancIscn till.
While Mt berkeley lust week representa-.
tive of tho Gait chanccl to meet j. j. Rivers,
tho Curator Of tho University Muse.
I'm, who knows rs much nbuut bl,gs
uhtl thctr kindred rs nr. I}arlr, II mt
more, MID ws!U IL better pnsted Oh snnkcs of
tho truly rural varieties than my man lii
California. Tho museum has Q,i[te cUllrc-
ttoti of California snakes Vt every possible
color, buried, n,ld sl,ottet', mid striped with
crimson, ret1, atul yGlf0w, n,Ia ait tliusp moro
snnsbrn hl1cs which simulate tic color of tho
grusItlu ult which they liz and bask III sun
light until thu nnwnry p[cnckcr Or Ilcnick-
css steps Oil them With II screnln.
"nn you SEQ t.ut fellow up tllerc ~ said
Mr. Rivers. pointing to hagu rr,t snake
some len feet long md two Inches thick, of
the k!ntl known as n RopIier~s'ake. '.I'tl
rather liavo tliat fcllDw OIL my farn,--lr I had
II farn,-t',nn $40. You would bc astonislcl
ut tile amount nf yer,nin Ut NIL kinds they
can get away wttll-gopllers, rabbits, squIr.
rcls, bIrtls--tllytlinE III fact tln.t lie IL big
enough to gtt himself outside OF, a1,d TINT
ineal,s Il goull deal, although you might not
think It to LOOK ut him.
folt are awtlrc, suppose, of the peculiar
construction Of tho lower inv. IL cu,l Jc u,,-
hinged, so to speak, md tlion tic snake IL 1olll-
Ing more tlIni long sack with tho mduta
olei'. liava watched ono or item stuw nwny
II s1uirtcl-loAg tall md al!-without making
nny bones about 1t. liz commenced Mt the
hga1! md stgwly drew tho squirrel tn bit by
Dill, Ills teeth a1Nl jNWs working OIL tho mi
lll,ll sulnewat us 4 tl!an t|rnws In q rope
hand oyer lnut. Flnnl!y Thy bully wns sateiy
stipncd down III tho lwinkl;ng OF Mi eve.
never rcntfkctl until then wly y,,ukes sycr,,
made 50 !nng-lt Is to liatse room for thu ill.,
Gnnyellient talfs OF the other animals pre-
state of existence, when the tails have been
rvOlUtlontzcsi oir tho bucks Df the Ot!lcr MI
'mnls, probably snakes will be cut sIiOrter,''
Do they lick th II ,prey smooth, rs tic
i}'; hoa sosre1r ~. Is s"id 10 do, 10 make 1t slip
ntcnt sy u shs sesIE ires e t a wht[h99as h[n9
these California sl,nkes, however, With tilo
'';a, EXCEPTION 81 e. rnttlestiakes. ARD true con-
It. llny1 You eyrr seen Il g1pller tryI1ir Il,
entch II tloye by taking d meal, advantage Of
H. NJ III. ws s5jckly 'o .,r,n s"6s VII :, saI%
uatIl Il ,eets ncar tho ri i,esi,
n lung mtlu bitter 1igl,t beRlily betwt.nr fla
dove and Its nlHte nI, one side and tic slnks
on tlls other. Tliu Turner don't always gpt
tho worst OF 1t. either. | llIyn sreil Il diva
knock II sInku ccMn OH Il cactus brnnclI
TO- tie ErolI,ltl with a bVw Of liz
wings, anil thcu tlo Bu1ku rrnwlri
away, us If I,u did not wart nnW
,uore OF TINT. hut 1t EchcrnIjy ends lin othssr
wuy-tho tioycs keep llp MI angry. tnrriiIr,l
screaming uiul huiTctille With tkair wlm,.s
1lntl they aru tired out, anI tlle s,lnke iissf
b!tics lis ttme in dsnttjy slenc. nnti heJ I'M rnn
catch s0n,0 l,nrt Of tic Joycis bo.ir IN IN Is his
mouth. Thu dove never irnyUs after tllat-
he seel,ls colnrtetely purlIyzu1. M II wnrc !,
i" IIe dues hot Kill It with lis fun.s ~ o'
)" No; lo sInsply ami SLOWLY Winds ona
deatly coll nitur another roullt tha tinSr I,'.
til It's body Is completely cnyeiOpoti in Ills
folds, nlitl tlleu ono single scrauucf Iors ihe
business" "See ''''
"Il0n't they sometimes kill animals fhut
are useful Or harmless OF, a farui ?'i 'A'A'
"Ypry seldom. rhg birjtH which +hav
kill ar0 not many nftnr nii' nnl
they arc tic l0st lNrlnless nnInnIs
they kill, Tho n,uOunt Oh Itlrtful vnri"im
whicl, they destroy in the course OF II year il
x lIttjo IiscrimimntinT In",vj.
edge OF tltls klnI would be- vcrv msnfmi r.
farmers. Thcru Nrn numbers AT lnserts! for
.,tsru ~i'NS' ~ tA4l1k EHEs