the bull snake, which is quite common on the pacific coast, grows sometimes to be quite large, but it is entirely harmless to human beings.

a californian, being something of a naturalist, set himself to work to tame one of these snakes and was able to teach slippery dick—the name he gave his strange pet—many tricks. he taught him to come at call, to coil up, to wave his folds about in imitation of dancing, and many other tricks. he would coil up on the table, his head in the center of the coil, elevated about six inches in the air. the gentleman would place the handle of a small fan in his mouth, and then the snake would gently wave the fan to and fro, and thus keep the flies from his master’s face.

he was as good as a cat to keep the old log house free from mice. he often brought in ten or twelve in a day. his fondness for mice was his ruin. it happened in this way: one day the gentleman missed slippery dick, and though he hunted and called all day, he could not find any trace of his pet. about a week after his disappearance, having occasion to explore the loft of the cabin in which he lived, he came across the remains of his old friend. apparently he had been more mouse-hungry than usual, and in his haste to satisfy his appetite had swallowed a live mouse, which had gnawed its way through the snake’s body, thus causing his death.