THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



A Successful Snake Hunt. 



BY GAYNTE T. K. NORTON, NEW YORK CITY. 



The first formal hunt of the Reptile 

 Study Society occurred on Saturday, 

 April twenty-first. For the twenty 

 odd hunters and certain toads, frogs, 



Photograph by Gayne T. K. Norton. 



MORTEN McWHOOD AND THE THREE-FOOT 



BANDED WATER SNAKE THE BOYS NAMED 

 "SNAPPY." 

 Hudson Hawley, of "The New York Sun." was an 

 interested but diffident spectator. 



turtles, salamanders and snakes, the 

 day was notable — a day ideal for the 

 hunters. The day of all my days out 

 of doors was the day of our first snake 

 hunt. We met at Bloomfield, New Jer- 

 sey, and walked out of town. For a 

 while we skirted the old Morris and 

 Essex canal and gathered a few co- 

 coons. The boys with us, a few 

 Scouts, all members of the society, 

 were the personification of joyful an- 

 ticipation. 



Twenty minutes on the towpath 

 brought us to the first swamp. In 

 inches of ooze we spread out, hopping 

 from hummock to hummock over flush- 

 es and around stumps. In no time, 

 frogs, a turtle and some brown sala- 

 manders were ours. Morten Mc- 

 Whood, a young man from Newark, 

 scored a banded water snake three feet 

 long. One quick, deft grab had done 

 the trick. The snake, probably not 



thoroughly awake after its hibernation, 

 looked the worse for the long nap ; it 

 still wore last summer's skin, and two 

 inches of tail were missing, but its 

 agility was surprising. For half an 

 hour we hunted earnestly, each trying 

 to keep a few boys quiet. But no other 

 "wiggler" rewarded our efforts. 



Luncheon was devoured after a de- 

 lightful walk through the budding 

 spring. To our botanists this was three 

 hours of joy and rivalry ; to us common 

 snake hunters, it was the pleasure of 

 being out of doors. Much was collect- 

 ed. A large meadow, criss-crossed by- 

 irrigation ditches, looked good, but re- 

 vealed nothing. Then we had a sur- 

 prise. The camp site had been well 

 trodden, when at its center a DeKays 

 snake was captured. The little fellow 

 was in fine fetter and friendly — to me 

 our choice catch. 



Allen Samuel Williams is probably 

 known to most of my readers. This 

 was the first time that I have enjoyed 

 the privilege of being in the field with 

 him. He has a boy's enthusiasm and 

 a knowledge of the outdoors verging 

 on the uncanny. He is eminently fitted 

 to lead the boys in the educational 

 campaign that the society is conduct- 

 ing with reptiles as beneficiaries. 



With trying exactness Mr. Williams 

 ranged the party in a semicircle and 



ALLEN SAMUEL WILLIAMS (AT LEFT) WITH 

 LARGE PINE SNAKE, AND THE WRITER 

 WITH BULL SNAKE (AT RIGHT). 

 Both specimens are great pets. The species are of 

 value to the farmers as rodent destroyers. 



