RUBBER SNAKE. Charina bottae (Blainville)

Field characters.—Size small for a snake, length usually under 24 inches; body stout and of about same diameter throughout; tail short, blunt ended, much like head in shape; whole surface of body very smooth, skin loose fitting. Coloration plain greenish brown above, uniform yellowish white beneath. A small spine (rudimentary leg) projects, slightly, on each side of vent (at base of tail). Movements sluggish.

Occurrence.—Recorded only from floor of Yosemite Valley. Lives on moist shaded ground.

The Rubber Snake is a northern species belonging to the same family as the boas and pythons of the tropical portions of the New and Old Worlds. It never attains to anywhere near the size of those better known 'constrictors.' The individual mentioned below is the largest Rubber Snake we have ever seen. When fully relaxed this example measured 645 millimeters (25-1/2 inches) from tip of nose to tip of tail, and its greatest girth was 65 millimeters (2-1/2 inches). Most of the representatives of this species which we have seen have been less than 20 inches long.

The one individual noted by us in the Yosemite region was found October 7, 1914, in a road near Sentinel Bridge. It had been killed by some workmen who had passed along just previously. It is deplorable that people should persist in destroying non-poisonous snakes. The deep-rooted tendency in some human beings for this kind of reaction toward all snakes seems to operate entirely without reason. The Rubber Snake is not only harmless, but, for a reptile, it makes an admirable pet. We have never known of a snake of this species attempting to bite or to resent handling in any way.