Sept. 1889.] 



a:n^d oologist. 



143 



the oilentling member into liis hand, wiped it 

 on his handkerchief, and stuck it jauntily back 

 in his head. Tliat did settle it. With one ac- 

 cord the chiefs stampeded for their horses and 

 the hills, and althouj^h a month afterwards the 

 government succeeded in establishing a treaty 

 with the Chivi-Utes, Joe Walker was not the 

 interpreter. Honda. 



[Originally published in Live Stork Review.] 



Brief Notes. 



As Willard Dillaway was roaming; through the fleUIs 

 Sept. 15, he espied a small hole from which protruded 

 the hea<l of a young adder. This was enough to excite 

 the curiosity of any naturalist, even with a small bump. 

 To secure it by prying was but the work of a minute, 

 when he next discovered that it had covered an egg; 

 as this was removed, another, and still another, till 13 

 spheroids lay before hiui. A.s he looked at the eleven- 

 inch snake and the plump eggs, rather a small hen 

 tor such an oological display, so thought he. He next 

 discovered that each egg had a small slit and that the 

 contents were animated. Converting himself into an 

 instant.aneous, self-acting, intellectual incubator, with 

 a small pressure he forced the contents, each one yield- 

 ing a tiny squirming snakeship, about the diameter of 

 a pencil and eleven inches long. As each snakelet was 

 ushered into this world of sorrow it was gently laid on 

 mother earth. For an instant it would seem amazed, 

 whtn it would coil and strike and bite in a most vicious 

 manner at the hand that had so tenderly nursed it. 

 They are now placed upon the shelf (in spirits) and 

 Dillaway says, "They were holy terrors." 



Snakes. That reminds us of a party who a few years 

 since were olf on a fresh water ttshing trip, a hilarious 

 l)arty of good fellows well met. As they passed along 

 a path one of the number pointed out a small snake. 

 The others all looked but apparently failed to descern 

 it. The flnder insisted that it was where he pointed. 

 The others looked, first at the place, then at the man, 

 and shook their heads in a serious manner. In despera- 

 tion he picked up the snake by the tail and threw it 

 into the face of the foremost, and was only rewarded 

 by a blank stare. With a look of surprise and disgust 

 he gave it up, much to the amusement of the 

 others. Whenever he mentioned it afterwards to any 

 of the party, it only resulted in his receiving a little 

 advice, in an assumed kindly manner. This occurred 

 before Rhode Island tried prohibition. 



A party has just informed us that he recently killed 

 a fair-sized Hlack Snake. Skinning it he cut a stick 

 and drew the skin over it. When dry he varnished it 

 and expects a very natty walking stick as a result. 



Two small boys entered the counting room of a 

 manufacturing company. "Say, mister, do you want 

 to buy a snake?" "(Jood gracious, no; clear out.'' 

 As the little fellow's countenance fell, the boss dyer, a 

 good hearted man, suggested that the writer buy it and 

 an experiment be made in dying. A few pennies closed 

 the trade and a water snake three feet long, in a lively 

 condition, was passed over the counter. A few minutes 

 later in a small ante-room in the dye-house the act of 

 imniersing the snake in a magenta dye was performed, 

 by no means an easy task. If you doubt it, try it. The 

 snake wiggled and twisted and bit. It would get loose and 



a grab at it would result in a magenta paw. At last a sat- 

 isfactory shade was obtained and the snake rested while 

 the baptizers washed. Neither belonged to the fold of 

 good Baptists — but we assure friends of that persuas- 

 ion that we did our duty. When dry, the snake was 

 placed on a large plate under a glass globe and labeled 

 "ViPEii RiiBEA. Veky venomous." It was then 

 taken and placed in the office window of a prominent 

 dealer in the centre of the town. As the passers 

 stopped, their eye would fall'on the "Very venomous" 

 and they would scud along, not caring to trust even the 

 protection of the plate glass window. Some, more 

 bold than others, would venture in and ply all manner 

 of questions, which were courteously and glowingly 

 answered by the obliging clerk. Passing out, they 

 would return with friends and tragically describe its 

 nature, capture, etc., and invariably add that they had 

 never seen but a few like it(?). On one point they were 

 unanimous, no snake with such a fierce color could 

 fail to be venomous. As the excitement increased 

 it became a tride dangerous, especiallj- as the veracity 

 of so many was involved, and also as the sun's rays 

 were beginning to tell on the color. It was quietly re- 

 moved, and to-day if anyone should mention the 

 Ruddy Adder in that town they would be surprised at 

 the amount of information they would obtain from the 

 natives. 



A number of years since the writer's attention was 

 attracted liy the excited movements of a pair of Song 

 Sparrows. They flew back and forth, twittered, darted 

 and seemed perfectly frantic. Carefully approaching 

 he discovered that there was a nest in the top of a small 

 pine not over four feet from the ground. In it were 

 three young birds, and coiled around the tree was a 

 snake about two feet long. As the snake would raise 

 its head to the edge of the nest the birds would dart at 

 it and cause it to retreat. After awhile several other 

 sparrows appeared and the attack finally ended by the 

 snake gliding down, and before the writer could reach 

 it, it had disappeared. 



A set of eggs of the Western Meadow Lark taken at 

 Harrison, Dk., May 12, 1886, contained two eggs of the 

 Cowbird. They are now in the collection of A. H. 

 Fntst. 



We are informed that Mr. Geo. G. Cantwell of Min- 

 neapolis, Minn., a well-known contributor to our col- 

 uuuis, has removed to Lake Mills, Wis. We are assured 

 that this change will not affect the preparation of the 

 List of the Birds of Minnesota, which Mr. Cantwell has 

 in hand, and which we hope to be able, before long, to 

 present to our readers. Mr. Cantwell is a careful and 

 intelligent observer, and this change will bring him 

 among new scenes, a description of which we shall 

 probably have in the near future. 



Mrs. Dr. Mason of Calais, Me., heard a noise in a 

 horse-chestnut tree, at the front of her residence, and 

 discovered perched there a large Hawk which she, by 

 means of her husband's landing net, succeeded in cap- 

 turing. He is now alive and well, in the hands of Mr. 

 C. F. Newell, the taxidermist, and has become so tame 

 that he will come and take meat from Mr. Newell's 

 hand. 



Set of six eggs of Least Bittern taken at Framingham, 

 Mass. 



Two Black Terns have been taken at Framingham, 

 Mass., this season. 



A set of three eggs of the Purple Finch was taken at 

 Dorchester, Mass., September 10th, by Charles Ward. 



