176 NAT URE-S T UD Y RE VIE W [ 1 1 :4— Apr. ,1915 



Most of the food consisted of dragon-flies. One time the old 

 bird brought back a huge morsel of food. It was our largest 

 common dragon-fly, just before leaving the shell. It had evi- 

 dently crawled up on a rush to split open the shell and escape 

 into the air when captured by the tern. But it seemed incredible 

 that it could be fed. It actually seemed larger than the outside 

 circumference of the little bird's throat. It was about two and a 

 half inches long and a half inch in diameter. 



It was passed over to one of the chicks and then began a tug- 

 of-war. The chick choked and tugged and a couple of times 

 seemed to repent of its job, and tried to cough the dragon-fly up, 

 but kept at it and won out. I do not see how it found room for 

 it. For several minutes the head of the little bird was stretched 

 out and throat distended as though the larva like a stick stretched 

 from throat to bottom of stomach as the picture shows (page 178). 

 The digestive juices must be extremely powerful, for in a few 

 minutes the discomfort was over and the bird was normal. 



The marsh abounded with garter-snakes which found the tad- 

 poles easy prey, but they bothered the birds a good many times. 

 The birds, however, were equal to the occasion and always routed 

 the intruders as I saw several times. One time, the snake was 

 unusually large for this species. It crawled up out of the water 

 onto the farther side of the muskrat house. I feel sure that it 

 smelled the nest or birds for it moved its head about in different 

 directions as though locating the direction and gradually crawled 

 nearer to the nest. At last it crawled over the crest of the house 

 and there was "the promised land," but not just as the snake 

 wanted it, for the parent bird was there, and that meant war. 

 So it crouched down among the dead vegetation, well concealed 

 to wait for the old bird to go when it might seize the babies. 

 The old bird did not see it. I waited breathlessly though I did 

 not intend that my little friends should be killed by that ugly 

 snake. I would go to the rescue if necessary. The old bird 

 raised its wings to dart away in pursuit of food when it caught 

 sight of that crouching snake. It attacked it furiously with 

 beak and claws and wings and drove it pell-mell into the water. 

 Then the old bird dropped down on the nest and gave some 

 pathetic clucks as the old hen does to her chicks, and the little 

 birds went tumbling as fast as they could to get hidden away 

 under the old bird. 



